Winter Patterns, January Thaw, and the Light Grows Stronger

Winter Patterns, January Thaw, and Light Grows Stronger....

Blizzard - the first mound in the forefront are my bushes, the second is my car buried in the snow,

      We find ourselves in what everyone is calling a January thaw, however the weather patterns this winter have been fluctuating back and forth from winter to almost early Spring. Despite our surprise 2 1/2 feet of snow (as they had originally predicted only 6-12 inches), the day after the storm was surprisingly warm and sunny. So people came out of their houses with shovels and snow blowers and even snow mobiles, in good spirits. And what followed was temperatures as high as 45 degrees farenheit so it was refreshing and rejunvenating.

   A January thaw is usually a period after a long term cycle of intense cold days and several snow storms, But this Winter the temperatures have been constantly shifting back and forth all season and am flad for the mild temperatures as compared to the last 3 Winters. It was hard at first to adjust back and forth so that when temperatures dipped lower we were not used to it.

   It allowed for a walk along the boardwalk this morning, and combined with fresh air, blue skies and increasing sunlight it was a joy as January ends. The light seemed incredibly bright, or is it that I was just to some dull gray Winter days? It seems to be getting stronger and sunset is almost 45 minutes later. Subtle, but the sun makes its return.

   In the car the sun warmed the interior so I could finish my book on Renoir "Luncheon of the Boating Party" - sad to leave the characters who were real people in that painting at La Maison Fournaise on the Seine. But then again the moment is capture and these bits of color and light are at least expressed. Sadly my own glimpses of the Seine were brief along the Ile de la Cite, Le Pont Neuf, going to the Louvre and across to Musee D'Orsay, when this book claims that Impressionism began along the banks of the Seine with Renoir, Bazille and Monet at La Grenouilliere. Who knows - the sparks of inspiration can live inside anyone. I was further consoled to find out that La Maison Fournaise is still there and has been made into a museum in part of the restaurant, commemorating all the painters who came to paint the river there.

   Renoir in the book spoke of seeing the light in Algiers and italy, which makes me wonder again about the qualities of light in different places. Algiers I imagine as a desert, with sand, heat, clay of some kind and harsh strong light and sunshine. My only 2 desert experiences were Arizona and Israel, two very different places.

   Arizona was hot but dry and the sunlight and air so vibrant, but somehow benign when compared to Israel. Of course in Arizona we had our air conditioned rooms and my time in the actual desert with the cacti was on a trail ride with fellow workers.

   But Israel, northern Israel,  was more of a wilderness, with mountains rising out of the desert - hot during the day and cold at night. In a caravan with no heat, 30 degrees at night is no fun, and even worse was a sandstorm where sand ended up in your eyes and nose and teeth and the skies were dark and brown with no sunlight.

   In summertime, it was very very hot, the sun blistering. We were told to keep drinking water because even the wind would take the moisture out of your body and leave you quickly dehydrated. And wearing a hat was also necessary to keep the sun off your head. And I remember walking in the nearby hills and being told to watch for snakes!

   But the hottest, over 100 degrees farenheit, was going to the Dead Sea - not a breath of air, the sea retreating, the water a thick green soup of minerals. You had either be in the shade or in the water.

   It will not be dark until 5:30 pm tonight. Hence i continue to align myself with the psuedo=thaw, the joy of increasing light and the promise of Spring, and the natural patterns of season and living a natural life.

(Since we are indoors so much right now, next time I will write about indoor pollutants and finding natural solutions...)

January - the Light Begins to Return

   My father always used to say that January was the coldest month. Here in the Northeast, the ground would be frozen, snows would come, and the cold. But in the midst of all this winter weather, is the fact that the sunset is already getting later. Coming home from an appointment last night at 5:15 pm, it was not completely dark yet, as compared to it being pitch black just a few weeks ago. So already the Sun begins its long journey back.
   At the moment we are in the midst of a blizzard. The wind is quite ferocious, flooding is anticipated with the high tides of the Full Moon, snow at about a foot so far and more to come, and still another day of the storm to follow.

A Snowy Trail

   Living a natural life would be to be in tune with these natural events and storms and seasons and weather as it occurs. We are this year subject to El Nino, and thought perhaps it would continue to be a dry, warmer winter, but even the effects of El Nino are unpredictable. We think that our technical lives with computers and cars and phones make us exempt from Mother Nature, but it does not.
   Once technology began in the Industrial Revolution, it seems we have gotten away from the previous ways of agricultural life, living on and being in tune with the land. Many authors have written about this, and one book that comes to mind that we were required to read in college was called "Against the Grain", where every day people in every day life were resistant to the changes that technology could bring, in a symbolic way. And yet didn't we need to move forward with the inventions and discoveries?
   I find for myself, as in all things, there has to be balance. Yes I drive a car, but I also ride a bicycle when I can, and do alot of walking. I try to cook my own foods, with real vegetables and fruits instead of prepared foods, and avoid chemicals and preservatives for health reasons. I do spend time in nature, and try to lead a more simple life rather than being so caught up in the rat race fast pace of life.
   But still I must work, but I keep things in perspective. Or at least I think I try to.
   These are things I would have to mention to continue with the title of Natural Living for my blog.
   
   With all of this in mind, could I ever truly live Off the Grid? No electricity, no running water, no toilet, just an outhouse, no heat except for fire, no air conditioning except for the wind? I don't really know. What I can do is to be in nature as much as possible, take retreats into the mountains or to the ocean, be respectful of nature, tune into natural ways as much as possible, which I will continue to outline in upcoming articles.
   It's a choice, and also sometimes it can be necessary for health. Who knows what all these chemicals really can or cannot do to us. So why take the chance. I try to eat organic foods and use organic products when ever possible. Still, there are healthy, or natural choices we can make.

   Going through this blizzard in a warm house just reminds me I do like to live in a dwelling that has sufficient heat. Maybe warmer climates don't need as much heat, but in northern climates it is a consideration.
   The best part about a blizzard is the quietness. No one is out or about, not even the snow plows. It's been snowing now for about 24 hours, and things will begin to slow down now. I realize I don't really hear the wind so much anymore, so perhaps things are truly winding down now. And in the morning the clean up will begin, and it is forecast that the Sun will come out. A new day.

   And so we approach the end of January, just another week. It is always intense after the holidays, as though the world is playing catch up from having taken a break. In February the Sun will be growing a bit stronger, and the days will be longer. By mid February, there is always a day somewhere during that time where you wake up, and the air outside is crisp and fresh, and there is sunlight everywhere, and you feel inspired towards the future. I swear to myself on the day I feel this every year that it is a signal that Spring is not too far away, as though the energy of it sparks first, later followed by moderate temperatures.

   March the Sun is even stronger and the sense of change is in the air, but I am getting ahead of myself.

   I find myself pleased that the Sun now makes its gradual return, bringing warmth and light on cold days.

Sunlight in the Birch Trees at Dawn in winter

Lions and Tigers!

Big Cat Rescue, Tampa, Florida

The bobcats guard the entrance

   I was so glad to find the Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida. On the outskirts of Tampa in Citrus Park, is a long and narrow dirt road, woven between office buildings and stores on Busch Boulevard. It leads to 67 acres where a habitat has been created with natural trees and shrubs and enclosures for over 80 wild lions, tigers, servals, bobcats, pumas and panthers, that have been rescued from circuses, or from owners who thought they could manage to keep wild animals but could not. Many of the animals are sick or have been abused but are thriving here.

   I took the tour, which was about an hour and a half, with dirt trails winding through the various enclosures that were high and wide and not confining at all, and happy to see so many animals sleeping or lounging and coming by for a visit. It was like being in another world.

Saying hello!

   The more we walked, the closer we came to the larger lions and tigers. I wished I could have stayed in that part the longest. A rare white tiger, which is not normally found in nature but cross bred, was lounging on her back, while another lion slept nearby.

White Tiger Lounging

   My favorite was the female tiger just out of quarantine, who had been so sick she could barely walk. She sat in her enclosure with her head poking out, her paws resting out front. We continued on our tour, and on the way back when we passed her again, she came out and was ambling slowly and somewhat unsteady to get a drink of water. What a majestic animal.

Leaving her enclosed shelter.....

She takes a drink

   The tour is given by volunteer guides, and everything is organized and well planned. For larger fees you can go to a feeding tour or keeper's tour, where animals are fed, or a photography tour, all of which goes to feed and support the animals.

   If you ever have the chance to go there, I highly recommend it. I'm sure I'll be going back!

Eye contact - he gave me chills!

Donations are gladly accepted at Big Cat Rescue.

Natural Light

Natural Light

  The Winter Solstice has come and gone. The Sun begins its journey back to light the day more fully. Already, in the beginning of January, sunset is later than it was in December. On the Solstice, day and night were of equal value, and now the Sun returns.

Winter light at Asharoken

   Many cultures in northern climates worship the Sun, while those in tropical or southern climates worship water.

   Yet we all need sunlight, to a degree, to live. Natural rhythms, vitamin D absorption, and well being from light. Yet why are we living in houses and working in buildings that are mostly artificial light. Do we really get the light we need? I remember as kids we were always outside playing until it got dark, and now many young people are glued to computers and Ipads.

   In some circumstances, artificial light may have to be a substitute for natural sunlight. You can now purchase full spectrum lights, but does that really have a benefit. Even now as I write this, it is dark outside, so I have lamps lighting my space. I do like to use candles alot, and have a glass hurricane lamp that I can also use..

   The quality and intensity of light seems to be different in different places, and according to time of day and seasons as well. We had a warm spell in December, so that you wanted to be outdoors longer and do more, but always at three o'clock the sunlight is dimming, and the air gets a bit cooler. Now in January we are paying our dues, with temperatures down in the teens suddenly after so much warmth. By March, at least here where I live in the northeast of the U.S., you can see the light during the day is brighter, stronger, creating warmth. I always look forward to March 1st, for it means spring is not so far away.

   I was reading a book over the Christmas holidays, and it talked alot about the Impressionists and their formatio
n in Paris. The author chose to feature Auguste Renoir as the key character, but included other artists like Degas. At one point it is mentioned that Renoir was riding in a train to return to Paris, and in looking out the window, wondered if the flashes of light that Renoir may have seen on the train by its speed was the inspiration for some of the way light was handled in paintings during the Impressionist period. I was somewhat dismayed by this, for the movement was about life, and expression. I had hoped the reason for the treatment of light and brush strokes in this art movement was due to a cause such as an increased perception and awareness of one's surroundings and life. I found Paris to be very much alive with inspiration and did not for one moment think about trains speeding by. I also had a rough time viewing Impressionist paintings in a revamped train station. To me the paintings were suspended and not grounded, but perhaps that is what they wanted to portray. And yet every raves about the Musee D'Orsay.

   The quality of light is very different in France. My journey began in Nice, where I met my family at a home where we were doing a house swap, a villa overlooking the Mediterranean and the city below. There is a certain brightness and electricity to the light it seemed. It was summertime, July, so I have no reference for the other seasons there. Known for their great food and wines, did the sunlight have anything to do with this success along with the soil, or is it a combination of things. One really doesn't have to know the answers to this to be able just to enjoy the food and wine, but it is curious. I know from pictures of Bordeaux that the vines seem to grow out of a rough rocky terrain, and yet  wine from there is special.

   The sunlight also seems to make your skin a darker kind of chocolate brown, with a hint of copper for me, since I am part Scandanavian. But the locals had a chocolately brown smoothness to their skin.

   Paris was different. Further north of course, and a huge city. How did the sunlight play on the Seine and reflect on the white walls of the city's monochromatic buildings? And Paris is often referred to as the City of Light, which is another curious thing. They say it refers more to the Age of Enlightenment, and to the fact that Paris was the first city to employ gas lighting. But I do love to look at Paris at night when it is all lit up.
   And for those who went to Provence to paint in the 19th and 20th centuries, research says that the artists came for what they called a "clarity of light" in the area. It has been said that this clarity may be due in part by the mistral wind, which removes dust from the atmosphere, greatly increasing visibility. I can't say what it is, but light to me there is sharper and brighter, but also has a kind of subtle golden quality to it.

   But returning to the book I was reading, it was about artists and models coming together in paintings, so that it was like being part of a painting. This seemed to make the whole process more of a living thing, rather than just a painting being a snapshot in time. It seemed revolutionary in a way, but I am sure I am not the only person to address this topic. Does art imitate life, or does life imitate art? Perhaps both.

   I remember about ten years ago making a pilgrimage to a tiny town in Upstate New York called Catskill. It seems that the Hudson River Painters had lived nearby and painted scenes in the area. So I drove to this famous waterfall, where you could climb a cliff and then stand underneath the waterfall, a place many painters had painted. And then I found North South Lake not far from the waterfall, and rented a kayak. The water was very shallow, maybe about two feet and after paddling in the shallow water and trying not to get tangled in the sea grasses, I came to a very curious setting of some unusual twisted and gnarled trees and some rocks in the foreground. I floated in my kayak just resting, feeling like I was a part of that very landscape. It was a great connection.

   Later than night, I discovered where I was in North South Lake was also the subject of many painters in the area, including the spot with the gnarled trees. I thought I had been a living part of a famous landscape and felt a thrill from that perception. 

   However, now, after more years in nature and exploration, I thought scenes were alive and living in and of themselves, and the lives that pass through these places are indeed a part of the living landscape, and not contained necessarily within a painting, although a painting can provide a snap shot in time. In order to paint North South Lake you would probably have to go there for years at different times of the day and night and the seasons.

   But now that it is winter, I find I must return to this aspect of light, especially light from the Sun, because light from the Sun is crucial for existence, and not just our yearning for it in the darkness of winter. The Sun's gravity keeps Earth and other planets in place. There must also be light and heat for living organisms to exist. for plants to grow and pride food, they rely on the sun for photosynthesis.
   Light and sunlight do have a great effect upon us. Sunny days tend to find us more upbeat and cheerful. 10 percent of the population suffers from SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder, but everyone I think encounters some degree of the winter blues.
   Humans and mammals have an internal clock, with sleep and wake cycles. Light influences pupil dilation, alertness,  melatonin levels and heart rate modulation. The light receptors in the retina of the eyes, which include rods, cones and retinal ganglion cells, help to set and reset circadian rhythms. It is noted that blue wavelength light is what maintains circadian rhythms.
   According to WebMD, SAD may stem from the body clock being out of sync and a lack of natural sunlight. Some recommendations include getting up early and walking in natural sunlight. The best time is between 5-9 a.m. and then again later from 4-6 p.m. with a minimum of 30 minutes of sun a day. Then again, one should not over do sun exposure.
   The easiest approach I know for myself is to increase light in your home. I am insistent on turning on all the lights in my tiny apartment - but then again I don't have many windows for natural light. The one window I have in the east is where I put all my houseplants. I notice in January each year the plants seem to perk up and have new growth. There are no south facing windows, where light would be the strongest, nor are there any skylights, so I add light. Some articles suggest full spectrum light, but I haven't been able to determine if this is helpful or not. I do know that fluorescent light especially those in department stores or office buildings, give me headaches. But each person is different so it is best to decide for oneself. Sun lamps are not recommended for long term exposure and there are no conclusive studies about the safe levels of exposure to UVA and UVB rays.

Sunset over Eaton's Neck, Northport, NY

   WebMD also mentions a dawn simulator. There are lights that can be purchased online that can be set to gradually lighten a room when you are scheduled to wake up - simulating a dawn cycle. I also what what effect colored lights would have - shining colors one at a time each day or installing colored glass in windows. It may or may not have any benefit, but it doesn't seem like it would hurt to try. I know friends in Denmark tell me they wear bright colors in winter to compensate for the early darkness in Scandanavian winters, while in the tropics friends tell me they buy heavy curtains to keep the sunlight out because it is so intense.
   Yes light is important, and the main point is to be aware of the effects of light and darkness and sunlight on us as humans, so that you are living according to the natural cycles and seasons, and to live your life accordingly.

References: WebMD, Wikipedia, spaceandmotion.com. prweb.com, Ryan Wright, Tony Nguyen, Niels Fiensen Nobel Prize winner, livescience.com, planetfacts.org.