Wednesday, January 06, 2010

Serenity

I have recently been reflecting on my definition of early rising, and how it has changed over the years. During bouts of insomnia, I often wake at 3:30 or 4:00 and try to lie in bed until 5:00, but I toss and turn, which is probably not too pleasant for my partner. On 'normal' mornings, we get up at about 7:00, which seems fairly civilized to me, but still too early to C. When our daughter was home and going to school, I felt comfortable rising at 6:15, so that I could make her lunch and breakfast without having to feel too hurried. I like morning, and I especially like the peace and serenity before it is light. That said, if I can sleep for 7 or 8 hours, I will take it, knowing that another morning I may be wide awake and raring to go at 3! How about you? Do you rise early? Do you like to sleep late? What is your favorite part of the day? I really want to know!! Tell all!!

So, this morning when I walked out into the living room at 7:15, I felt compelled to snap a few pics before it got too very light. I like the pink in this one

I initially took the above pic because the lake is freezing over. That doesn't happen too often, so I wanted to capture it.

The moon is still high in the sky at 7:15

The river birch above affords us great shade in the summer and then when it drops its leaves in winter, the sun warms one entire side of our house. My friend Ineke, who designed our home, really knew what she was doing!

It's Epiphany, so the decorations must come down....or must they?

And do snow people count as Christmas decorations?

Well, surely this must come down

it's still hanging in there as I write this...........perhaps tomorrow?????

a cluttered shelf in my sewing room

soon it will be tidied up and perhaps even purged!

PEACE

10 comments:

Gerrie said...

Lately, I have been waking at 3:30 or 4. If I can turn my brain off, I can go back to sleep until 7 when the wake-up light comes on. I have a speaker pillow and I turn on talk radio which helps my brain stopp working and I can fall asleep. In the morning it is sooooo dark still. Once the days begin to lengthen, it will be easier to get up.

Terry Grant said...

I have always been a night owl. When my children were small I loved being up very late sewing or working on art projects, sometimes until 2 in the morning. I existed on much less sleep than I am able to now. Now I get up about 7 so I can meet my friends to walk every morning. I try to get to bed by 11:30, but it's often closer to 12. I really think I need to go to bed earlier and I resolve to do so, but I am just not ready to sleep until later and laying in bed tossing and turning, trying to fall asleep is misery.

Beverly said...

I love early morning, before the sun rises. I'm up at five anyway for work, but even on days off I am almost always up by 6 am. I love the quiet, the still- and my brain works best in the morning, too. By 9 pm, it is off and I am pretty much done with anything except reading. I've learned not to quilt at night, it just gets ripped out the next morning when I can see it!

Jeannie said...

I'm a night owl also and I have never been "perky" in the mornings (not that I would describe myself that way any other time of either!) Last night it was one more row of knitting and then off to bed - yeah right! Finally crawled in at 1 and laid there until 4. Drove me crazy! I envy those that have a set routine and wake up refreshed. Snowpeople stay out until the threat of snow is gone ~ Twinkle lights are on in our neighborhood until Valentine's when the days are longer and it's not so dreary. Christmas decor - when the days are sunnier so it varies usually late January. I'll come help you purge the sewing room! Wait, it's warmer here, sorry!

Carol said...

I wake about 3 most mornings and either lie awake with my mind churning, or if I'm lucky I may sleep from 5 to 6. I wake at 6 or earlier all year round and while I think it would be great to stay in be, I just get achy and so I get up. I sit at the computer until I feel obliged to visit the chooks about 8 to say good morning and dish out some food. My Christmas tree will come down this weekend (sob) but I promised S, who is away with her parents for a few days, that she & L can take down the children's tree as she calls it, when they return. It's a dry branch decorated with lots of tinsel and those mini mirror balls that catch the light as they move. Purging is not my thing. XXOO

Joyce said...

I'm an early bird too. What I don't do before noon often doesn't get done at all. I do like to get my 8 hours in though, so I usually go to bed quite early. I didn't put up decorations so there are none to come down. Enjoy your day.

Elizabeth said...

If I were left to my own devices I would be up late- 11:30-midnight., and up late in the morning 8-8:30. With Tom commuting into DC he is up at 4:30 and I get up with him to ahve a cup of coffee and then I try to go back to sleep till son gets up at 6:10. This ahs proven increbily disruptive to my sleep habits !! then when I wake at 2am and can't fall back asleep till 3:30- we have a very bad situation!!! SIGH!! Just have to deal with it I guess Thena s soon as my body gets the ryth of it all, Tom goes to Europe on business for a week and I have no need to get up at 4:30 but my body wakes anyway!!! ARGH!!!!!
Can't win!!
Love your pictures and NO SNOW PEOPLE DO not COUNT as Christmas decor!! That is why I lvoe them so much. My collection is still out and will be out till early Feb!!!!
Have a good day despite our crazy sleep patterns!!
Hugs!
Elizabeth

Anonymous said...

Let's see...my dad was an early riser and so is Chris. My best time has always been between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. and I love to sleep in especially now that I'm retired. No more alarm clocks for me! I think it all has something to do with your circadian rhythms. Jan. 6 may be Epiphany to you, but here it's the 3 kings' day, and everyone eats a hula-hooped-shaped bread called a rosca that has a baby doll inside. If you get the baby doll, you have to invite everyone for a dinner sometime in February! Happy 2010 and I didn't eat rosca so I have no obligations. xxoo Carol (sil)

Rayna said...

I was always an in-bed-by-10 and up at 7:00 person. These days, I stay up till midnight or worse and sleep till 8-ish (unless I am teaching). Sleep habits do change as you get older, heh heh.

PaMdora said...

Since last summer, I've been waking up about 4-5 pretty often. Sometimes I can close my eyes and go back to sleep, but when I do get up then, I get a lot of stuff done on the computer!