SUNSET IS HERE!!!

[elleng]

This is a couple weeks old, but symbolic of WINTER SOLSTICE!

[yeoman6987]

1. Tomorrow start longer days. Yeah!

Lol. I know it will take a few months to really notice but I love the thought just the same.

[elleng]

3. So do I!

I actually look at times of sunrise and set every day, due to where my home is located, at a river's edge, and great views, so I may notice it more than most (but not the next week or so, when it will be 'warm,' but RAINY!)

[CTyankee]

6. pretty soon there will be just a sliver of daylight in the sky at 5 pm and then that sliver

will get bigger and bigger. I love to watch it this time of year. It gives me hope...also when I can wake up with some LIGHT instead of feeling it's midnight...and it's 5 am. Oh, well, I go back to bed anyway...who cares, I'm retired!

[elleng]

8. WITH you, yank!

I open my eyes early, check the sky for level of interest, then back to bed! Sunrise this morning was @ 7:20.

Did post today's 'sunset' on fb, tho clouds prevented anything spectacular, and looks like I won't see the moon due to clouds.

[Andy823]

18. I can send you some snow

In the last week we have gotten about 9 inches or so, 6 of those in the last two days. 4 new inches already today and it's still snowing at 3:56 pm. Supposed to slack off before 7:00 pm. I did see the sun the other day for about 20 minutes, but it has been one dark gloomy fall this year. Can't wait for the extra light, even if it is only a couple of minutes or so each day.

[elleng]

24. No thanks, Andy, but be well.

I 'suppose' we'll get some later in the season.

Will be gloomy here for next week or so, according to forecast.

[underpants]

2. Happy Solstice!!!!

[peacebird]

4. Sunset is falling here, Solstice is at 11:58 tonight!

Let us hope for Bright blessings of the New Year!

[Mnemosyne]

5. Gorgeous photo, elleng! Happy Solstice to you also.

[elleng]

11. Thanks.

Happy Solstice!

[EdwardBernays]

7. Sunset was 4pm today

Here in Ireland.

[KatyMan]

9. Where in Ireland are you?

We lived in Slane for a couple of years and still love Ireland. But the weather really takes some getting used to, especially if you're from Houston!

[EdwardBernays]

12. I grew up in Arkansas.

But then spent 10 years in Boston.

Then three years in London.

And then 8 years here in Dublin. : )

Been to Slane many a time though.

[elleng]

10. 4:49 here in southern MD,

not so far from you! (but a few hours!)

[BlueJazz]

25. Wow. You must be around 50 degrees north.

[EdwardBernays]

26. 53 😉

Very astute

[Person 2713]

13. Whoopee!

More light please

[elleng]

14. Its coming!

[bvar22]

15. Happy Solstice.

We will be having our standard celebration,
dancing naked around a fire in the middle of the Veggie Garden at midnight,
thanking and celebrating our mother for another year,
and petitioning for a good harvest next year.

It will be historically warm in Arkansas tonight. Daytime temp on Dec 21st was over 70degrees today.
More records being surpassed every year.

While 70 degrees in late December is a GIFT,
it is also frighting. The erratic weather is causing chaos in our (now obsolete) Planting Calendar.
Some plants NEED a cold winter and dormancy in order to produce the following year.

We are adapting, and preparing for contingencies in choosing our crops, and preparing for a late Summer replanting this year,
but if THIS is the New Normal.....everybody who eats food is in trouble.

[catchnrelease]

32. Weirdest thing I've seen so far

I have a Fuji apple tree that has produced regularly every year, the apples ripening around Sept/Oct. This year I realized at about that time along with the apples, there were blossoms appearing here and there. I figured they'd just fall off, but instead they have obviously been pollinated and I have many new apples developing, now about the size of large grapes! Along with the regular sized apples from this year.

Now I don't know what will happen in the coming months--when the leaves drop off in a month or so, will all the new apples drop off too? Next Spring will the normal cycle take place, with leaves, blossoms and apples at the normal time?? Will the whole cycle get pushed to later in the year? It's crazy and I'm very interested to see what will happen.

We had warm temps all last Spring, Summer and into Fall so the poor plants are really confused. Over the last 2-3 years I lost my good producing apricot tree to borers that I feel attacked due to the tree being weakened by the higher temps and less water. As you say, things could be really scary crops wise in the coming years.

[lovemydog]

16. I'll check it out.

Looking forward to longer days!

[madinmaryland]

17. Hey! I here its supposed to be in the 70's in Maryland the next couple of days!!

It's supposed to be upper 60's here on Wednesday.

[elleng]

22. YES, mad,

here's my 10-day forecast, 74 here on Thursday. Lots of rain, so I may go to the movies in Silver Spring instead of enjoying my scenery.

http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/l/20657:4:US

[libodem]

19. Thank you Ellen

Happy Solstice.

[longship]

20. That's a beauty. Have an analemma!

At winter solstice we're at the bottom of the analemma. So from now on the sun is crawling slowly, day by day, back up to the top, which it will achieve next June.

It is a pretty figure in the sky as well, don't you think? It takes a year to film it though.

[Yogi]

21. Happy Solstice.

n/t

[Liberal Jesus Freak]

23. Happy Solstice!!!

That picture is beautiful.

[Zorra]

27. Happy Solstice!

[Shrike47]

28. Solstice, hurray! We light candles and smile, the days will get longer. Sunset tonight 4:37.

Also, we've had 11 inches of rain so far this month. The grey gets old.

[elleng]

29. Sunset here tonight 4:49,

pretty cloudy, and rain heading our way for about a week. Yes, grey gets old.

[Omaha Steve]

30. K&R

[Babel_17]

31. Days are now getting longer!

[elleng]

33. YES!