"Distant light. Night reigns. Moons blaze and stars flicker. "
Wednesday, December 24, 2008 
In the 2009 ECOlogical Calendar, Monday was RimeGlaze and Tuesday was BrightSight. The remaining days this week are GrayJays, PolarZone, ArcticIce, SequoiaCone & DeerMice. 
...[W]hen read in succession, the day names become distinct cogs in a rhythmic wheel of the year. The floral, faunal, astronomical, meteorological, and geological names represent natural phenomena from all over the Northern Hemisphere. The poem that emerges seeks to reestablish our connection to the natural cycles and to make the year's passage specific and meaningful for every user."
Image for the Week of December 22nd, showing the Sky, Sun, Moon, & Earth Bands, Tide Chart & Calendar Band
Facts & natural phenomena include
SaturnMornings Saturn can be seen in the morning sky for most of winter.
ColdFront In winter, cold fronts move at speeds of from 10 to 50 knots -- two to three times faster than in summer.
OwlHears Owls can hear prey moving under a blanket of snow from as far away as 30 yards (27.4 m).
Note: This post's title comes from one of the horizontal bands on the calendar. The full text for Winter/Celeste is:
Distant light. Night reigns. Moon blaze and stars flicker. Sun tracks low on horizon, yielding short, gray days. Arctic air descends from the pole. Wind intensifies cold. Animals huddle, shiver, or withdraw into near-death sleep to survive the year's lowest temperatures.
This lovely calendar was an early Christmas gift from me to me.
Reader Comments (2)
Oh I love this idea of naming.
And reading about the owl, I'm glad I'm not a mouse!
Me, too, Tess. I love so much about this calendar but this is one of my favourite features.
And me, too. Mice are very vulnerable, aren't they.