I Love New York Travel

Do those full spectrum light bulbs truly work? Do they really simulate daylight and make you feel happier during the winter?

I don’t know, but it sure looks like my cat, Livvy, loves the light.

I’d heard that these full spectrum lights help Northeasterners cope with dreary winters; studies show that depression and winter illnesses are linked to lack of sun exposure during the winter months. I don’t know about that, but I’ll take a full spectrum light any day. Sunlight rocks. The light is exceptionally bright; I like it. I have the bulb in this metal pink desk lamp that looks like it belongs more in Easter baskets ideas for kids than my stately black-topped desk. And the light is hindered by the thick metal housing of the lamp. But I DON’T WANT to BUY another lamp! I’ll make do.

Eventually, I’ll try to get more of these bulbs and place them in the ceiling lights in the big rooms (living room, dining room). They are unfortunately a little pricey, so I’ll have to save up.

In the meantime, Livvy is hogging my desk space to get under the lamp. It does generate a bit of nice heat.

Yippeee! I’ll be on the road again next month, briefly. I’m going to take a short trip to Geneva, NY. It’s been such a long time since I’ve been there. Congratulate me, dear friend! Where are the cigar deals, I’ll pass out some cigars in celebration, haha! (Where did that custom come from, anyway??)

Seriously, I’ll be reviewing a winery and a bed & breakfast resort. So it’s *ahem* all business, you see. Unfortunately, the rest of the family will miss out. I hope to schedule something for us all when the weather breaks in spring. We did not traveling last year, and the kids sure deserve a vacation.

It’s been an interesting winter. We’ve had continual snow– no more than any other average year, really, but it trickles down constantly. Temperatures have not been too bad– this week is our coldest when it will reach 0 F or so. So far, no below zero temperatures (of which I am glad). I like the snow, but dislike the cold temps.

The kids have been shoveling a bit. Not that they need it. We are actually on an exercise regimen where we walk briskly three times a week. In the winter, this is a little rough. So the kids shovel out the driveway and parking lot, and we walk there.

Only two more months of winter left….

Taken at a corn maze in October.

I can’t believe I never got around to blogging about that in any great detail. Well, I did on my one travel blog. But on my “big” travel blog, I said nothing. Ugh. I’ve not been motivated for any “in depth” kind of blogging lately. Not for a while, actually. When I started blogging, I had lots of time and ideas for fun stories, opinion pieces, nice journals and narratives. Now, I am too busy to do anything. Every once in a while, I pop out a nicely-thought piece. But overall, I feel like I am chattering, just blabbing about lightweight stuff, like my day or my favorites colors or best weight loss supplements. Certainly these have some merit (blog readers like personal stories)…. but I don’t have that kind of free time anymore. I’m not unhappy, though. I have a great job and I am earning money. A GREAT feeling.

Hopefully I’ll have time for more than random silliness.

This photo was taken the last weekend of October. The sun was moving away, a tiny pale yellow orb drowning in a cloudy sea of gray and icy mist.

What is winter solstice? Is it the day the earth is furthest from the sun? And thereafter, the earth makes its slow crawl back into sunshiny goodness?

Hey, I’m from Upstate New York, one of the sun-starved states! You’d think the UV rays were on adapexin p, they are so thin. One weather statistic I heard (this was a few years ago) said my area in New York receives on average, only 120 sunny days per year.

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That’s only 1/3 of the year.

*sigh* I like winter, I do. It’s cozy. But I do miss that sunshine.