Today is the day of the winter solstice of 2019, the day features the least amount of possible daylight hours and the longest night in the Northern Hemisphere. The reverse is true in the Southern Hemisphere.

In New York State, where we live, sunrise was at 7:17 a.m., sunset will be at 4:31 p.m. when we will light the wood bonfire we have been saving for weeks. This is the darkest day of the year, but it is also the beginning of the return to longer days and more light.

The winter solstice was a sacred day for farmers, who celebrated the return of the longer day, and the time when they could plant their crops, it was a life or death thing for many.

We set up a neat pile of wood for the fire, but the donkeys knocked it over and moved it around. Everything is their business. We’ll set it up again.