merry yule

I haven't had much energy to post anything in the couple of days, since between the sinus infection/bronchitis and the cough syrup that puts me down for the count, I've been sleeping a lot. The infection seems to be holding it's own right now, I'm still waiting for the antibiotics to kick in and the tide to turn. Right now, the infection is still winning, so I wait and rest.

Today is the first day where the days are now longer than the nights, the Equinox has come and gone, and the Sun is once more growing stronger in the skies, the days becoming longer, and Spring is coming. I know the modern calendar likes to think of the Winter Equinox, Yule, as the beginning of winter, but it really mid-winter, the turning point. If you don't think it's been winter for over a month already, go outside, feel the cold air, look at the snow on the ground. Our ancestors knew the rhythm of the seasons better than most of us do today, because they had to live with the rhythm, not be isolated by central heat or air conditioning. We can keep our houses the same temperature year-round, eat whatever foods we wish that are grown on different continents, instead of eating what is seasonal.

Today, I can go to the grocery store and buy fresh tomatoes, even though my vines died over a month ago. I would normally be eating squash, preserved meats, beans and other dried grains, nuts, and dried foods. Today we don't have to eat according to the seasons, I can go buy strawberries that were grown in South America, instead of waiting 4 months for them to be in season again here in Alabama. If I wanted to eat fish, I can go buy fresh fish, instead of eating dried, smoked, and/or salted fish. If I want to eat fish that would be fitting to this season, preserved fish, salted cod or something like that, I have to pay extra for them.

What is the point of this? Enjoy the seasons, and if you can find seasonal foods, enjoy them. Don't rely on the calendar, trust the weather and your instincts. The human race has relied on instinct and the length of the days to note the changing the seasons. We have not lost that touch, if we only go outside and feel the air, you will know what the season is.