Sunshine and Rain

After being held back for weeks by freezing cold and packed snow, nature has

Crocuses

literally burst forth in my yard.  5 days ago there was nothing but white.  Now there are a half-dozen species of bulbs sending up leaves and half of them are already blooming:  crocuses and scylla and snowdrops.

On this afternoon's walk I soaked up the sunshine and felt great, although I did not put out flowers.

Snowdrops

And, just this morning I read about some research into health and body weight.  A new study shows that if you want to lose weight, just get a good dose of strong sunshine in the morning.  That resets your body's clock and keeps you healthy.

People who had most of their daily exposure to bright light in the morning had a significantly lower body mass index (BMI) than those who had most of their light exposure later in the day.  The influence of morning light on weight was independent of physical activity, caloric intake, sleep timing, age or season.

Morning sunshine

Unfortunately for those of you who are still in school or working, you are missing out on that sunshine.  Those indoor lights provide barely 20% of the light you would get outside even on a cloudy day.

At least now the sun is up early in the day, so if you can, walk or ride a bike to school or work.

And, while we are at it, watch out Yelp users.   After looking at 1.1 million online reviews for 840,000 restaurants in more than 32,000 cities across the country, researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology have found that the weather outside can be just as significant a factor for reviews as what happens inside a restaurant. The study shows evaluations written on rainy or snowy days, or very cold or hot days, are more negative than those written on nice days.