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Monday, December 21, 2015

No Indian Summer This Year?

I've waited all fall for Indian Summer. I had learned something new about it that I wanted to share. But I don't think Indian Summer occurred this year. Did it? Did I miss it?
Indian Summer is that period of summer-like warmth after we have a hard freeze. Here that usually happens by late October, first part of November.

My flowers on November 2. Nope. No freeze yet. That was the same day I washed all the windows.

It was November 21 before we had our first snow of the season. Until then we had only had two nights when the temperature got down below freezing - and both of those were 31°.

The pond one week ago - open water and green grass. Two days ago the water was frozen over. Today it is open again.
Winter begins tomorrow. If our weather stays as nice as it has been, can we still have Indian Summer even though it is officially winter?

Oh, that new thing I learned and wanted to share? Another name for Indian Summer is Goose Summer. From Goose Summer comes the word gossamer - a fine, filmy substance consisting of cobwebs wafting on the air, especially on warm Autumn days.

This is the night of the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year. Tomorrow the days will begin growing longer. But this has been such a mild fall, I've hardly noticed the long nights. (It was still 50° when we went to bed last night.)

Nevertheless, I know I will welcome more daylight.

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