Four minutes is how much more daylight we’ll have tomorrow, and the daily improvement has perked up spirits around town. We still fight the urge to fix dinner early, but now the feeling hits around 4:30 instead of 3:30.

We haven’t had much snow so far this winter, which is disappointing to people who actually enjoy getting out in it. Snow-machines sit forlornly on their trailers in driveways, skis and snow shoes sit patiently by the door. There’s still time. We did get a few days of temps in the 20s so people got out and skated on the slough, but it was spoiled by a snow storm…

…giving our hibernating selves some exercise shoveling it.

Mostly, it has been a warmer, rainy winter. When we’ve had some sunshine we dashed out the road to enjoy the scenery, and it gave me a chance to photograph Jim in the new custom gansey sweater I made for him. Each of the motifs and symbols on the sweater are either very traditional, or I designed or chose them to reflect where and how we live.

There’s a row of salmon swimming around the sweater. Above that the basket weave motif symbolizes how a small community is woven together, and the wave above it is my own motif because water is such an important element in our lives. The anchor, diamonds, and ladders are traditional motifs, but the trees are styled like the tall spruce and hemlock in the Tongass National Forest where we live. Above the anchor is a traditional motif for the Eddystone Light in Cornwall, England. Down near Ketchikan there is a rock formation called “New Eddystone”, named after that English lighthouse. The rope cables on the shoulder straps and arms also echo our nautical roots. Winter is a perfect time to spend some hours on major knitting projects like this!

…but when the sun shines… we’re OUTSIDE! Everything is so pretty dusted with snow…

…and the mist and alpenglow make even long-time residents stop to savor the view.