The myth about the sun

 I've heard there's such a thing as the "sun". It may be an invention. 

Today, according to calculations, the sun rises in Helsinki at 9:15 am and sets at 3:12 pm. We're at the darkest time of the year. The sun is up for six hours in the southernmost Finland. In contrast, in Ithaca on December 12th the sun rises at 7:26 am and sets at 4:33 pm. (The weird differences in rising and setting times - two hours difference in one, one hour in the other - have got to do with time zone issues.) 

That doesn't even begin to describe the true horror. This December, the sun has not shown once. It's been behind thick, fat clouds. Mostly it's been raining. 

Except today! Today the sky is almost clear. Everyone, out, get on the market square to celebrate! It's the sun! But get out quickly, because it will set again. 

On Wednesday, IT and I decided to pretend it was summer and went to the greenhouse at the Botanical Gardens. It didn't feel like summer. But there were still flowers blooming. After the greenhouse we bought ice cream. It was delicious. 

The greenhouse was incredibly beautiful

I've been jealous and even mad at Ithacans who complain about the snow. Please, send us some snow! It would not be so relentlessly black here.  

Our breakfast table has a new item: Moomin vitamin D supplements. Everyone must take one.  

I know some of you might start to worry about us, reading this. It reads bleak, but we're going strong. We're Christmas shopping in nice places, meeting with friends several times a week, lighting our star lamp each evening, eating chocolate from our discounted chocolate calendar, watching the Advent Calendar on TV - it's really meant for kids, but we're loving it. If you need it, it's here, but it's in Finnish, I warn you. PW is finally getting to the archives of the Finnish Mission museum - there was some problem in August when he first contacted them. Good thing we stayed so long - this is important for his sabbatical research.

So don't worry, we're coping and Christmas is just around the corner. But I wish climate change wasn't a thing. I really wish that.