The days are getting longer here in the far northern regions. Not terribly noticeable by the human eye at this point, but any extra rays is a good thing. By the end of February we will be having 4:00 shadows at 2:00 instead of noon. March will bring a little warmth with that sunshine, but we'll still have single digit temps in the morning. April, ahhhh April! That is what we all live for...slush and gray everything, but it is spring!
During this time of year, many of us suffer from SADD, otherwise known as Seasonal something or other (I can never remember), one of the symptoms is loss of memory (joke), and depression. It seems we require a certain amount of sunshine to keep our serotonin levels up and of course that vitamin D thing is a necessity. However, quite often we Alaskans leave for work, school etc. while it is still dark and return home in the dark. We become sunshine deficient! We get lazy, grumpy, jumpy, hungry, and we have dreams of Hawaii, Mexico and Cruises. Ultra violet SADD lights are a source of help and they can be purchased at any department store and Costco carries them at times.
My husband thinks I have this disorder. Of course I assured him rather loudly that I am NOT SAAD and please leave me alone with my pillow, chips and electric blanket! Okay, I'm not that bad. I probably could even pass a SAAD test (is there such a thing?). Nevertheless, I am glad the days are longer and the sunshine is out today! Think spring, flowers and little baby ducks, spring is just around the next 8 to 10 corners.
