A Mild, For December, Sunset

I decided to take advantage of the mild weather we’ve been having and walk out and watch the sunset. We had temperatures near 50 degrees again today, well above average. i remember years here in Northeastern Pennsylvania when it was below zero already. And no snow either. Just a thin coating of ice on the ponds.

The earliest sunsets of the year are now occurring here  here in the Northern Hemisphere right around 4:35 p.m EST.  

I hurried out to some ponds near my home, with a view of the western horizon, and got there just in time to watch the sun disappearing beyond the hills to the west. 

It is always nice to be in the woods at dusk, even in December.  There are few birds singing now, today I only heard a few black capped chickadees. The only other wildlife I encountered were a few rabbits that jumped from the underbrush and startling me a bit. Rabbits are pretty skittish these days since there are not leaves or green plants to give them cover. 

After the sunset I took a slow walk back under the naked trees. I wish i had time to build a fire. There is nothing as comforting as a fire on a December evening. 

As I walked back I was surprised to find these oyster mushrooms growing on a dead tree. I never found them before in December and, while they are a little old, I think they may still be edible. I’ll find out in a little bit, going to cook them up for dinner.

I made my way home knowing that it’s less than two until the solstice when the days start getting longer. It was a nice December afternoon, but I still miss the warmer days of the Spring, Summer and Fall when the world is so much more alive with plants and animals.  Here is a link to some more photographs from my hike this afternoon.https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-page-2/nggallery/photographs-page-two-blog/sunset-december-8-2015

“Never waste any amount of time doing anything important when there is a sunset outside that you should be sitting under!”
― C. JoyBell C.