The Snows of Solstice 12/19/08

The view outside is less colorful, and not a pretty one if you plan on driving today.

Either way, whether you’re looking out the window or at my computer screen, what you’ll see right now is a genuine, old-fashioned Michigan winter storm in progress, the kind we used to get as a matter of course back when I was a kid. This one has been heaving pretty much everything into the picture—heavy snow, light snow, frozen fog, freezing rain, sleet, even a couple scatterings of lightning and thunder. If you like variety in your winter weather, today is your box of chocolates.

In the official language of the Grand Rapids National Weather Service…

…WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THISEVENING…HEAVY SNOW WILL TAPER OFF THIS AFTERNOON LEAVING BEHIND FROM 6 TO12 INCHES OF ACCUMULATION. BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF SNOW WILL BE APROBLEM THROUGH EARLY EVENING AS NORTHEAST WINDS INCREASE TO 15TO 25 MPH. WIND GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE. THESE WINDSCOMBINED WITH FALLING SNOW AND SNOW ON THE GROUND WILL REDUCE

VISIBILITIES TO NEAR ZERO AT TIMES.

This is the kind of snow I remember from my boyhood, the kind that makes you think, Yeah, this is Michigan, all right; a real rocko-socko winter storm. And the irony of it is, it’s not even winter. Not yet. This is just autumn’s last gasp, and it’s a doozy, a guarantee that when the winter solstice finally does arrive two days from now on Sunday, it will be as thoroughly white and wintry an event as you could possibly hope for.

Winter is limbering up, doing its stretching exercises in preparation for a good, solid, three-month workout that begins officially, as it does every year, on December 21. Last year we got record-breaking snowfalls; this year seems poised to outstrip 2007. Even as this present storm system winds down later this evening, the next one is already knocking on the door, with more snow in the forecast for solstice.

Solstice. The shortest day and the longest night of the year. With the sun at its southernmost position in the sky, the long slide to winter is at an end and the journey toward spring begins. Here in Caledonia, Michigan, the sun will rise at 8:10 a.m. and set at 5:11 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. We’ll get nine hours and one minute of daylight. But the times and length vary around the state. Down in Niles near the Indiana border, sunrise and sunset occur at 8:09 and 5:17, respectively; in Saginaw, the times are 8:06 and 5:03; in Sault Ste. Marie, 8:18 and 4:53; in Houghton on the Keweenaw Peninsula, 8:38 and 5:37.

This is a day marked by ancient festivals in many cultures, typically inspired by the same thing that gets me to feeling all happy and warm, namely: we’re heading toward spring! From here on, the days grow longer—incrementally, true, but we’re no longer moving toward the year’s darkest day. Now we’re moving toward it’s brightest, and halfway there we’ll greet April with a kiss as she embraces us with warmer breezes, wildflowers, and the return of the songbirds. To be sure, the worst weather still lies ahead. January, February, and March are not user-friendly months. But here in Michigan, we do what we can to make the best of them. A crackling log fire, a pint of rich, amber barleywine, and a snowy view outside the window to make you glad you’re indoors on a day like today…it’s not a bad thing.

Of course, there are also the photo ops that only this time of year can provide. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, this winter has been a time of discovery for me as a greenhorn photographer. The other day, I took a little jaunt to Alaska Park along the Thornapple River. The day was a gray one, as days in Michigan so often are this time of year, but there at the water’s edge I found a few sights worth capturing. Even at full color, the effect was one of black-and-white, a paradoxical landscape of austerity and gentleness. That’s that nature of winter. It strips the outdoors down to its raw essentials. And that’s just fine. Till springtime warms the land, I’m content to explore the treasures of the ice and snow.

In parting, on behalf of Dave, myself, and Waterland Homes LLC, I’d like to wish you and your loved ones a very blessed Christmas. The times may be troubled, but God is gracious and good.