So apparently, the tens weeks surrounding Winter Solstice are the ten darkest weeks. We’ve just crested that time span. On January 27th, the sun started to rise for us on the EAST side of Pioneer Peak. Before, we’d had sunrise at 12:15 pm, but suddenly, the sun was shining at 11:50 am.
In leaps and bounds, in just two weeks, it’s light at 9am. And there is sun, actual sunshine at 10:11 am.
Low-angle sun is lovely; it’s like the golden hour but all the time. The world is bathed in perfection, everything is kissed with gold and pink.
It’s also a homeowner’s worst enemy. That angle shows every smudge, every dust bunny, every grimy handprint as it slants in low and golden across the field. It makes a person wonder if they’re always this messy and disgusting. I’m not, right?
I swear this is what prompts spring cleaning. Being shown what you’ve missed during the ten darkest weeks spurs you into a fit of cleaning madness that will not pass until you’ve cleaned every last visible AND hidden inch of the house.
Or until the low-angle sun rises high enough in the sky during the day. Then one day, every speck of dust, piece of dog hair, and all the crumbs are suddenly magically gone.
Until that day comes, you’ll find me vacillating between work and washing windows, polishing furniture, sucking up cobwebs, and scrubbing floors.
Laura