Darkness in Seattle

[wannabeaTexan]

Originally Posted by seattlerain

Yes, with the exception of Arizona and Hawaii we have Daylight Savings Time.
This year it began on March 9 and will end on November 2.

I believe Michigan does not have it either.

[sean98125]

I love the dark winters and the long summer evenings.

I've posted about this before, but there's a reason that Europeans have traditions of celebrating light and warmth in the winter, and why Christmas time is such a festive, colorful season. For our ancestors, the hard work of the warmer months was done and it was time to relax a little, to enjoy time with your family and friends, and to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Christmas used to be 12 days, not just one. It was a whole season of parties, of dinners, of time spent together dancing in front of roaring fires and eating hearty food and drinking beverages that warm you.

I love walking up my front sidewalk and seeing my wife and daughter playing in the living room. I love the look of the warm, welcoming light spilling out of the windows into the blue night. I like sleeping on the cold nights with the window open a little so I can hear the rain falling on our garden outside, snuggling close to my wife as our two cats snuggle against me.

I like the feeling that I can just relax - there's nothing to do in the garden, there's no lawn that needs to be mowed, no painting or staining to be done outside. It's time to sit around the table and play a game, or to call friends over for a nice dinner and to let the kids play for a while. It's a good time to plan for the projects to get done in the warmer weather, too.

The darkness outside helps me to focus on the warmth and light inside my home and with my family and friends.

[LMB]

Beautifully stated, Sean! I love the seasonal changes here, including the darker, cozier autumn & winter and then the lighter, brighter spring & summer. Feeds the soul.

Lynn

[Meerteekah]

Wow. What lovely sentiments, Sean.

Down here, it's more an outside living. It's nice to drive up to my brother's or sister's house and find everyone sitting under a tree with the kids running around in the grass, next to the canal (both my elder sis and brother have canals behind their homes) where my nephews like to fish. Barbecues. Pig roasts. The swishy sound of palm trees. And in certain times of the year, just lying outside on a chaise to watch the meteors. (Not so much since we moved to a more light-polluted area, but well).

And when my asthma acts up, driving to the beach to let the salty winds help me a bit...I love the smell of the Atlantic, which is a five minute drive away.

But I could visualize what you were describing very well. Sounds lovely and peaceful and your family sounds wonderful.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by wannabeaTexan

I believe Michigan does not have it either.

You may have been thinking of Indiana. (I'm pretty sure Michigan has DST.) Parts of Indiana used to not change. It is one of those states in two time zones. I believe this year, for the first time, the whole state went DST, regardless of their time zone. You can google "What time is it in Indiana" and get a lot of info about this.

[pirate_lafitte]

Summertime is approaching day by day so instead of the darkness, now we will be discussing late nights where darkness doesn't come until 10 or 11pm.

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by sean98125

I love the dark winters and the long summer evenings.

I've posted about this before, but there's a reason that Europeans have traditions of celebrating light and warmth in the winter, and why Christmas time is such a festive, colorful season. For our ancestors, the hard work of the warmer months was done and it was time to relax a little, to enjoy time with your family and friends, and to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Christmas used to be 12 days, not just one. It was a whole season of parties, of dinners, of time spent together dancing in front of roaring fires and eating hearty food and drinking beverages that warm you.

I love walking up my front sidewalk and seeing my wife and daughter playing in the living room. I love the look of the warm, welcoming light spilling out of the windows into the blue night. I like sleeping on the cold nights with the window open a little so I can hear the rain falling on our garden outside, snuggling close to my wife as our two cats snuggle against me.

I like the feeling that I can just relax - there's nothing to do in the garden, there's no lawn that needs to be mowed, no painting or staining to be done outside. It's time to sit around the table and play a game, or to call friends over for a nice dinner and to let the kids play for a while. It's a good time to plan for the projects to get done in the warmer weather, too.

The darkness outside helps me to focus on the warmth and light inside my home and with my family and friends.

Dark winter evenings excite me for some reason because for me, it comes with Christmas. It comes with coziness of the home. It comes with a peacefulness that I don't always feel. It reminds me of places I want to be, like Minnesota, Alaska, and other northern locations. I think of the beauty in things.

[sean98125]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

Summertime is approaching day by day so instead of the darkness, now we will be discussing late nights where darkness doesn't come until 10 or 11pm.

And I'm sure the usual suspects will be whining about that, too!

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by sean98125

And I'm sure the usual suspects will be whining about that, too!

Why would I whine about late nights? I get kind of giddy about it.