Plastic wall on the south end of the greenhouse is up. Now wherever you live, before the winter solstice starts, the afternoons will start getting brighter!

December 3, 2025

July 2025  

​IT is darn cold out.  But there is little wind, and full clear blue sky so the sun is out.  Dress warm is all I can say.  It is still -4C(-20C).  Australia’s this is hard for you to realize how cold it is unless you have been here to experience it.  When we got up this morning it was at -14F( can I even find that in C.-28C)  You just dress for it.  Dress in layers and lots of it.  Make sure most of the skin is covered so you don’t get frost bite.  High today of 14F(-10C).  All I can say is stay warm, stay safe.

We got the plastic wall up in the south end of the greenhouse.  Those are the pictures you see.  That plastic is hanging on the 3rd hoop, so it makes a barrier for the cold air.  For example, when I went out there this morning it was 27F in that area, and in the area, we have enclosed with a north wall of plastic which is ½ of the greenhouse it was a cozy 60 degrees.  The sun is shining so that it really helps warm it up. 

I had to include a picture of the south end of the greenhouse outside in July.  I am looking through pictures and do enjoy seeing all the colors.  We will have this again, but now it is time for nature to rest and give us winter. 
 
Australia family and friends for their summer weather on Friday Dec 5 will have 72F(22C) with 85% humidity so they are having summer like weather.  Stay cool, stay safe. 
 
I had a friend  say to me it is only 7:00 PM and it is so dark out.  Yes, it is getting dark so much earlier and it isn’t the winter solstice.  Here is why. 
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Why the Earliest Sunset of the Year is NOT on the Solstice  Written By: Bob Berman
Does it feel darker this time of year? Many folks think it’s darkest on the winter solstice. But it’s actually in early December! Bob Berman explains this phenomenon.  To most of us in North America, this is a dark time of year—and you’re right. The sunsets come exceedingly early. It might surprise you to learn that the earliest sunsets come several weeks before the winter solstice, not on the solstice, as many would guess.
This puzzles people, but it’s actually a reliable yearly sequence.
First comes the earliest sunset, in early December.  Then there’s the winter solstice half a month later—on December 21 in the Northern Hemisphere—the day with the fewest minutes of daylight.  Finally, another 2 weeks later, in early January, we get our murkiest morning—the latest sunrise.
In early December, North America slam-bangs at the low point of afternoon sunshine. And since far more people are awake and aware of things at 4:30 PM than they are at 6 in the morning, in a very real sense, you can forget about the solstice and the official “shortest day of the year” in terms of daylight.
So far as what most folks actually experience, early December is the darkest time of the year.   For example, in Boston, the Sun started setting at 4:13 PM on December 3 and won’t start setting later, at 4:14 PM, until December 15.
Of course, the degree of darkness varies, depending on how far north you live. The time the clock reads at sunset also depends on how far east or west your home sits relative to your standard time zone.
For northern latitudes, the earliest sunsets of the year happen around December 7. Think about 40 degrees latitude, so New York City, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Denver, and Reno.  If you live in the southernmost U.S., or a comparable latitude (about 25 or 26 degrees N. latitude), your earliest sunsets are actually in late November.  Drive just an hour east from where you are right now, and the Sun sets 10 minutes earlier. That’s because going east around the Earth’s curve makes your western horizon rise up to block the Sun sooner.  Go a mere 35 miles east, and the sun sets 5 minutes earlier.  In my region, which is the rural Northeastern US, the very earliest sunsets happen for those who indeed live both north AND east—namely, along the upper coast of Maine.
Test this out yourself! See when your sun starts setting. Try putting in 2 days ago, and then today, and 1 week from now!
Simply put, it all reflects the reality that tropical sunsets hardly vary throughout the year, while polar sunsets change wildly through the seasons. If you lived smack on the equator, like in Quito, Ecuador, your minutes of daylight would never budge throughout the year, not even by one second.
By contrast, our northern friends in Canada and Alaska experience the most radically short days in December.  But wherever you live, before the winter solstice starts, the afternoons will start getting brighter!
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/when-darkest-time-year
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected]  641-794-3337  cell 641-903-9365  Beckysgreenhouse.com  Facebook Becky Kerndt Litterer or Becky’s Greenhouse