The calendar reminds us that the darkest days of the year are beyond us, but it seems like we really aren’t making that much progress. The Christmas songs have been taken down from the radio, and the Christmas lights are rapidly being dimmed and extinguished every night, as we proceed towards New Years.

Next comes January. A very cold and dark month, although every day gets a bit longer. Today marked the first twilight at 5 PM in a while, every day will get a bit longer. The weather may still get a bit colder, but we all know what is next in distant future — spring.

I generally am not a fan of the long cold nights of darkness, when I usually stay in town and try to conserve money for next year’s adventures. But it’s part of living in Upstate New York during the long bleak winters.