As we move a step closer to Winter Solstice, we have been thinking a lot about how nice it will be to have more light in a day. Then we started thinking about how the cold darkness of winter reminds us to slow down a little bit and focus on staying warm. As we saw temperatures dip into the teens this past week in Greensboro and we are averaging over 14 hours of darkness, with sunrise around 7:20 am and sunset after 5:00 pm.

Seeing our Christmas cactus in full bloom reminds us that they love the darkness and need 12-14 hours of uninterrupted darkness to bloom. We try hard to let them get their beauty sleep and it works. We don’t go so far as to put a paper bag over them, but must be doing something right. We usually purchase our plants from the Red Collection on Mill Street. There is something special about getting a plant that has been started and nurtured locally. It turns out, they are pretty easy to get started. You just twist off (not cut) a 2-3 piece stem segment (called cladodes), let it dry for a few days and them put it in a pot with good drainage. However, this is not the best time of year to do that. For now, we’ll treasure winter with all of the events centered around bringing people together and finding light in times of darkness.

Happy Wednesday!