"Today is the autumnal equinox," my husband (M) said to me.
"Yeah, it's officially fall," was my response.
"What is an equinox Kate?"
"Oh, you know, it's something with the sun and how it's not summer anymore."
"Yes I know, but, what, exactly?"
Then I realized that I really did not know the specifics of the equinox, and neither did my husband, and shouldn't we know something like that? I am grateful for my husband's child like questions (not saying he is childish or meant in a negative, just that he is always curious and wanting to learn knew things.)
So, in normal course of our partnership, M puts out the questions, and K (that's me) searches for the answers. (I admit to making one up for him time to time when I do not know the answer. Usually he can tell).
And for those who are just as ignorant as us, the Autumnal Equinox is the day when the Earth's equator passes the center of the sun, and the axis neither points toward nor away from it. Now, because it is the autumnal equinox, my part of the world (The United States) will start to point away from the sun, and it will get cooler, and eventually become winter.
I live in Pennsylvania, where we have 4 distinct seasons. The Fall weather is my favorite. The mornings are chilly (it is 45 this morning), and a sweatshirt and a hot beverage are in order. The afternoons are warm (75) and one can shed their sweatshirt and be comfortable in short sleeves. Then, when night falls, it gets chilly again. To me, this is just perfect.
I look at fall a beautiful disaster. The leaves become magnificent shades of orange, red, and yellow. The tree lined streets become wondrous works of art.
But, behind the beauty, the leaves are actually dying, which is actually sort of depressing. I can remember in my early days this was a time when sadness would settle over me.
Now, as an adult, I embrace it. Because I know just around the corner (after the darkness of winter) is the Vernal Equinox, and soon enough I'll be singing the praises of spring.
So, M and I got our answers. These are the kind of things I wish I had learned in school. And now I'm off to research M's next question about evergreen trees.
Have a beautiful fall day! :)
Katie
Katie! This post, I really dig. To know the earth we inhabit and to know who and what we are is vital to our understanding of anything. It is marvelous that you and M ask, but even more impressive that you find the answers. Great stuff! Thanks for sharing! Have a Autumnal one!
ReplyDeleteCJ,
DeleteCan I tell you this post was somewhat inspired by reading your blog? I love the "conversation " style I read from you guys, it makes me want to come to your table with my coffee and hang out. So, I decided to take my own spin on it.
Most of the stuff I want to know is about the natural world, and as I get older I really wonder why we didn't learn this stuff in school. M and I both felt like morons when we realized we didn't really "know" these things- My next research is going to be on "moon phases"- maybe I have a future in Earth Science?
Enjoy your week! I know it's still hot down in Texas !!
Katie
This is a beautiful post, Katie - for the inquiry and discussion you and M had and the way you wrote about it. I could see the fall leaves on the ground, artistically displayed. As we don't have four distinct seasons, I have to be happy with the one or two trees who actually shed their colorful leaves sometime around December! I am a freak every time we walk by them in the morning and, last year, brought a few to sit on my work table at home so that I might gaze upon them. This girl from Upstate NY misses fall in the Northeast.
ReplyDeleteWhat fun to question and seek answers. I have said to myself and to CJ that I still may be a scientist when I grow up! Thank you for a delightful read!
Tammy,
DeleteMy friend from the Northeast who relocated to Texas tells me the thing she misses the most is the Fall. And wow, Upstate New York has beautiful fall foliage!
Thank you for your kind words. I receive a lot of inspiration from your blog, you are a great story teller. I have so many stories to share, I figured I would give it a shot.
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Katie
So sad, I'm sure I commented on this post, but then I mustn't have passed the security question stage, and it's lost. INterestingly, I know about the equinoxes, even though we don't use them in Australia to mark seasons. Simply, we use the start of the month, so Dec 1 is the start of our summer. Also, we don't call it fall, but autumn. It always depresses me as it cools, and especially when I read so many northern hemisphere blogs that get excited about spring! I usually overcome the winter doldrums by travelling north, but alas not this year, and thankfully the winter wasn't too brutal (who am I kidding, it doesn't even snow here in Sydney!)
ReplyDeleteSarah,
DeleteI realize I know so little about the ways of Australia. So our winter in the US is usually around Dec 23, or whenever the solstice happens to fall. So, I guess your winter starts around June? So interesting. I need to do a research project on Australia!
It snows where I am but it varies- some years we will get multiple feet, some years not much at all- but it is always COLD in the winter!!
Katie
No need for a research project, I slowly tell people about Australia in my blog, knowing that we're so different to the northern hemisphere. I read a lot of finance-y blogs, so I'm often writing about how things are done in Australia, like university costs or similar. So, I think you're right, June, July and August mark winter.
Delete