January 28: More Daylight and Blueberry Pancakes

Is your birthday today?

If you were born on January 28th, your birthstone is the deep red garnet (though garnets can be found in many other colors than deep red) and you were born under the sign of Aquarius.  Oh, and have a Happy Birthday!

A few more minutes of daylight!

It was sunny yesterday and it seemed as though the sun didn't set forEVER.  Well, that's an exaggeration.  The sun continues to set a bit later every day.  

How many hours of daylight now?

The sun rose this morning at 7:06 a.m. local Chicago time and it will set at 5:00 p.m., one minute later than it set yesterday.  We have two minutes and ten seconds more daylight than we had yesterday.  (Other cities?  Continue below.)

We have 9 hours, 53 minutes, and 52 seconds of daylight today, so we've added back 45 minutes and 56 seconds of daylight since the Winter Solstice on December 21st. 

Countdown to Daylight Savings Time

Countdown to Daylight Savings Time as of 4 p.m. January 28, 2018. 

One of my friends has been counting down the days until we return to Daylight Savings Time and get back an hour of evening light.  I can't say that I blame her at all.  That will happen on

January 15: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday

King Day, celebrated on January 15 in 2018, is a United States federal holiday to honor the memory of Civil Rights leader, humanitarian, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Martin Luther King, Jr. 

It's celebrated the third Monday in January, and, as it is a federal holiday, it means that we have no mail delivery; federal courts and offices are closed; most schools are closed; and we should fly the flag.   (Almost all states also recognize Martin Luther King Day with closures of state offices and other officially recognized ceremonies.)

Martin Luther King talking in Minnesota in 1967.  Photo from the Minnesota Historical Society found at Wikipedia

M
Martin Luther King would be 89 if he were still with us.

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, so this year, 2018, we are celebrating King Day on King's actual birthday, which happens to be the third Monday of the month this year. King would be 89 if he were still living, but he was assassinated on April 4, 1968, when he was only 39 years old.

I was in high school in a suburb of Chicago, and I remember that time well.  It was a time of sadness, anger, and uncertainty. 

Happy January 14!

It's cold but sunny outside today in Chicago, Illinois. 

The days are actually getting longer even though it still seems pretty bleak outside.  The sun rose this morning at 7:16 a.m. local time and it will set at 4:43 p.m., one minute later than it set yesterday in Chicago.  We have a total of one minute and thirty two more seconds of daylight than we had yesterday.  Altogether, we have added back 19 minutes and 40 seconds of daylight since the Winter Solstice on December 21st.  

Seattle?  New York City?  Other Cities?

Seattle, Washington, is just a bit farther north than Chicago.  Whereas Chicago has over 9 hours of sunlight today (9 hours and 27 minutes to be precise), Seattle only has 8 hours and 50 minutes of sunlight today.  And New York City, slightly south of Chicago, has 9 hours and 34 minutes of daylight, about 7 more minutes of daylight than Chicago.  You can search for your city HERE at the sunset/sunrise lookup of the TimeAndDate site.

Not sure where this gorgeous photo came from, but it is a perfect expression of the beauty of winter.

How Many Days Until Daylight Savings Time Comes Back?