| Thursday, December 22, 2005 12:42 PM CST |
Winter officially arrives
By the Pantagraph Editorial Board
Winter officially arrives today about 12:30 p.m. -- just in time for weather forecasters to predict a warming trend.
Of course, Central Illinoisans can be forgiven for feeling like it has been winter for a long time already. Snow on the ground and several consecutive days with temperatures below freezing can do that to you.
Recent mild winters haven't prepared us for the more wintry weather this area has received this "late fall." But most of us have adapted quickly. There were even people on Bloomington's Ewing Park sledding hill over the weekend, despite wind-chill readings in the single digits and bare spots from last week's thaw.
If only we could view winter through a child's eyes, the season would be much easier to bear.
A few adults love winter. They ski, snowshoe or make extra money plowing parking lots and driveways. They like the way snow covers a city's dinginess and brightens our surroundings. They own stock in natural gas or heating oil companies.
If you can't beat them, join them. Don't look on the arrival of winter with dread. Instead, consider that the days begin getting "longer" after the winter solstice. Today and tomorrow, Central Illinoisans will barely have nine hours and 15 minutes between sunrise and sunset. By the end of January, another hour of daylight will be added. And the 9-to-5'ers among us will be able to go home before sunset.
Happy Solstice to all, and to all a good -- long -- night.
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