- Is anyone else feeling unusually tired this week? Is it due to of our lack of sunlight or because it’s the 487th day of January?
- Our adjacent neighbors to the west let us know they’re having the invasive buckthorn removed from their yard. Good for them, and I appreciate the heads up! They’re going to be able to see a lot more clearly in to our house now – buckthorn makes up a lot of the “fill” in the woods between our homes. Maybe this will be what finally makes us get window treatments?! (nah)
- Them talking to us reminded me of an article (pdf here) I read about the forest preserve closest to our home. They’re removing a lot of the invasive plants and non-invasive trees to restore the preserve to its original prairie/savanna state, but it’s left looking so barren it’s freaking people out. I can see that – I have run through there after a controlled burn/tree removal and felt like I didn’t know where I was because it looked so different. But if the area is degraded and restoring it to its more natural state makes it healthier and a better habitat for turtles… so be it. I just hope they leave SOME of the trees for shade!
- I’m always saying I have a harder time reading long things digitally versus in print. This article (pdf here) backs that up: “a long strand of research has shown that reading comprehension is better on paper than on screens. The reasons are unclear,” though. Maybe something to do with “digital environments are primed for distraction”? Yep yep. I can concentrate on reading my Kindle, but not long things on my computer or phone.
- We watched Joker this week. Whoa! And we started watching the TV show You (season 1). Also, whoa!
Link to Random Thoughts Thursday 262
We have had a no sun week here as well and it’s been pretty depressing – who knew the sun was so important? Oh that’s right, EVERYONE knows that. Sheesh, I hope the gray goes away for you guys!!
Ha ha ha! Right?! We know it, but we don’t think about it until we all feel super down in the dumps and can’t figure out why. The sun FINALLY came out for a bit yesterday afternoon. Did it there?!
I’m glad you have considerate neighbors! Maybe you’ll become even closer now that they can SEE INTO YOUR HOUSE! (This is one part of non-city life that really freaks me out. Even if no other houses are around, I feel weird that there aren’t blinds or curtains on houses.)
I didn’t realize that the invasive plant removal was good for turtles. Anything for better turtle habitats!
I also have a harder time reading on screens. It’s one reason that I have resisted getting a fancier Kindle. I like the “low-tech” screen for reading.
Has the sun come back out yet?
You are not alone in that freaking you out. It bothers a lot of people! So… I just walked by their house after my run today and their yard already looks so different, and you can see our house more clearly from the street. Sadness. They get a big tax break for removing the stuff though, so I get it.
Right?! I thought that part of the article was interesting. I hope I see more turtles there. I ran through that park yesterday and today and it looks VERY different. I can see why that lady in the article was so upset.
Oh! What are the fancier Kindles like? Mine is perfect!
Yes! Today! Finally! It feels so good!
I got a real kick out of telling people in Hawaii that the sun hadn’t been out in Chicago in a week, and that at that point we had only had one day all year classified as “clear.” Even though it happens every year, I really hate how gloomy it is in January and February around here. Going somewhere sunny did make me wonder why on earth people choose to live in environments like this when there are so many better ones available! (Though I do think I’d eventually get tired of the same weather every day – and apparently Hawaii had just had a couple weeks of rain, so no one has it perfect, I guess!)
Ha, did they think that was just insane – how gloomy it was here?! I can’t imagine living somewhere like that all the time, but like that the weather changes, too.
I cannot wait to hear about your trip!