Yes, sunlight is noticeably on the increase now, by as much as an additional 5 minutes every day. By the end of the month we should have an additional 45 minutes of daylight (we’ll take it!). Up until just recently most of that increase was at sunset, but now we’ll be getting more light both morning and evening. While of course it is a good thing, the angle of the sun is still so low that the sunlight will not have much real effect. This is why, even after recent mild temps, there is still ice in areas shaded by mountains or trees. Any added brightness is welcome in this cold, dark time, but it is not ‘til March, when the sun is higher in the sky (and for longer) that the increased sunshine
Cold arctic winds blow across the mountains, bringing their fierce reminder of Winter’s power, scattering brown leaves and making the deer in their winter yards hunker down a little more. While protected somewhat from the worst of the polar blast by the hills themselves, these powerful winds still course through the cloves and down the hollows of the southeast Catskills. I pity any creature caught out in this season. I think of the turtles buried in the mud, the Woodfrogs frozen under litter of leaf and the people huddled around their fires, all waiting for Spring. WINTER WANING? As the days become noticeably longer and the light (oh, so) gradually returns, it might seem like winter is wanin
