Once in a while, I read through past columns, looking for new ideas or to expand on an earlier topic. I happened upon this column from December 2016 called “Longer Days Are Coming.” The feelings still hold true. Enjoy this special holiday season. Gardening time is just a few weeks away!
As I write this piece for Thursday’s “Gardening Corner,” it is the day before the Winter Solstice, when, because of the earth’s 23.5-degree tilt on its axis, the sun’s light reaches the southernmost point of the year, meaning that the northern hemisphere will experience the shortest day and longest night of the year. In early times, little was known about the relationships between sun, moon, and earth, but people did recognize the changing seasons and note the shortening of the days with the sun’s lower path across the winter sky. The long, dark, cold nights would have been terrifying, and at the Winter Solstice the people would have rejoiced at the return of longer, warmer sunny days.
For humans as far...