Like most phases in life, change comes with its pros and cons.  Moving to northern Maine also has had its benefits: less crowds, rolling pastures, small family owned farms, fresh eggs, and outdoor sports.  I knew I was trading in large shopping malls and natural history museums for mom and pop shops and monthly community dinners at the local agricultural museum.  However, one of the most surprising disadvantages of moving so far north, was the dwindling lengths of daylight.

Sun setting on our snow-covered fields before 4pm

Childhood science class taught me that Alaska had long days in the summer and short days in the winter… but Maine?  Yup same goes for Maine.  I have discovered that we have pretty awesome long days in the summer, and pretty depressing short days in the winter.

On the past winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, the sun rose at 7:10am and set at 3:48pm. This gave us only 8 and a half hours of daylight.  Not only are we pretty north, but also very east.  We are only three minutes to the Canadian border of New Brunswick, which is in another time zone, making their sunsets at 4:48pm… If only that were true. Instead, I would leave for work in the dark and return home in the dark…and I work a day job!  I felt as if I had dark sunglasses on all the time… or wore a hood to hide my identity. Our chickens that only started laying eggs…stopped laying eggs.  The leaves fell. The ground froze.  Then all was still.

The season of winter arrived.

I wonder about the season of winter.  Some people rage against it and move down south permanently.  Some avoid it like the “snow birds” that fly south for the winter.  Some people –just “suffer through it” and hold their breath until that seasons passes. (Much like me this winter.)  Some people embrace it and go skiing, skating, sledding, snowshoeing, etc…And they don’t complain about the darkness, they expect it, pray for snow, and plan ahead…

Josiah trying to score a goal

Dale’s acceptance of winter, as long at there is hockey!

My husband says that the chickens can only lay so many eggs in their lifetime, winter is a time for them to rest and take a break.  Plus, shouldn’t we count our blessings?   Even when it’s 20 below zero, Dale reminds himself that at least “there are no mosquitoes!”  How would we get maple syrup if the ground didn’t freeze and then thaw in the spring?   Finally, I remember my favorite shade of green: it’s the color of brand new budding leaves of the trees…If we didn’t have winter, the leaves wouldn’t fall, and there wouldn’t be new leaves in the spring.

After winter… comes spring!

I recall while being in the military a saying: “bloom where you are planted.”  Since a military family usually moves every two to three years, if one decides that they are going to just “bide their time” until they are done with their duty station, not make friends, not get involved in community or church, and not plant roots… what will happen?  Will they grow like they should?  Could they really be happy to let that season of life slide by?  And once they are done with that duty station, and move to another, what then?

As we plan this year’s garden… (Did you also receive a half-dozen beautifully colored seed catalogs in the dead of winter?)… We have to keep in mind the right soil and the right seed type for our temperate zone.  Sometimes it’s not so easy to “bloom where you are planted” if you are not well matched for the new environment.  But, if you don’t put down roots, no matter how missed matched you are, you cannot grow for sure.  Even with plants the first season might be rough… slow going; not a lot of fruit, some wrinkled leaves instead of large flowers.  But, maybe, just maybe with the right reserve stored up from the last season we can make it through our winters.  Maybe even appreciate our winters.  Especially since after winter comes spring.

Even now, the days are getting longer!  Thank you winter solstice!  We have gained more than an hour more of daylight since then. And then we will keep gaining until we reach more than 15 hours of daylight each day!  Our chickens are starting to lay again!  Fresh eggs anyone?

Loving our fresh green eggs…and of course, our ham