RUNNEMEDE REMEMBERED

Growing up in a small town in Southern New Jersey


Wednesday, August 13, 2008

What to do with extra sunlight hours

Well, as a child I know what I did with those extra hours. I was outdoors until the lightning bugs came out, then I would chase them for a bit, catch a few, and almost every night put them in a mason jar with holes poked in the lid, hoping that they would live through the night. My objective? Collect enough bugs to light up the jar so that I could read by it. That never happened.

The Perseids (the 12th of August annual meteor shower) are over and I saw several this year. I recall, and I've iterated this before, as a teenager laying down in the grass in the lot next to our house (where the parking lot is now), and watching the skies, looking for those shooting stars. But in that case, again I wasn't using the extra sunlight hours, but waiting for dark.

Recently I've noticed that the days are shortening very fast. And as they shorten in daylight, they seem to shorten in time I have to do what I need to do. Why do you suppose that is? Since we don't really need sunlight where we live to do what we do, including swimming, I'm not attuned to doing things with the extra sunlight. I just notice that it's getting darker sooner and getting light later. To me it's like an implosion of darkness. Winter weather is fine, but the gray and darkness of that season is not.

And I do love watching the sun come up in the morning and noticing the way it hits the walls in my house and on the sun porch. I've just been noticing those things lately. The sun sets on the side of the house where my office and Alan's office is located, and we're rarely in there in the evening as we are in the library, generally, watching TV. But since the sun is setting earlier, I have been able to watch the patterns made on the walls in my office, and I love that.

So, to answer Creative Memories last suggested question for "journaling" this summer, the best thing we do is head out to Graeters and get us some ice-cream.

ttfn

1 comment:

wabisabigirl said...

I'm sad because I've noticed the days getting shorter too!!! I don't like the heat, but I love the sunshine!!