No price is set on the lavish summer;
June may be had by the poorest comer. – James Russell Lowell, “The Vision of Sir Launfal”
And so another astronomical year has come and gone, the third since I started this blog; the anniversary is July 10th, but this is the last of the sabbats before then. The apparent path of the sun reached its northernmost point (at the Tropic of Cancer) at 5:02 UTC this morning (that is, 12:02 AM where I live) and that makes today the longest day of the year (and the first day of astronomical summer) in the northern hemisphere, and the shortest day (and first day of astronomical winter) in the southern. After today, the days get shorter but hotter, reaching their hottest (in the North American interior, at least) during the Dog Days of late July and early August. As I’ve explained before, I’m not overly fond of summer because I don’t care for excessive heat and overlong afternoons, though the fresh blackberries of June are a generous compensation for the earliest part of it. And I suspect this may be a relatively mild summer, considering the unusually-chilly spring. That’s what I’m hoping for, anyhow. And for all my readers, I hope and pray that each of you gets whatever it is you’re looking for out of the summer as well.
Blessed Be!
Happy Solstice.
I’m with you on heat. I can’t stand it. Even here in the north it gets too hot for me in the summer.
We have us a nice little group here! Also dislike the intense heat. My ideal climate is between 40 degrees and 78 degrees with humidity under 30%.
same to you, Maggie. Wholeheartedly, from us here enjoying 59 degrees, rain and wind. Your kind of summer weather?
I don’t really like cold weather in the summer as it isn’t appropriate; I just wish it didn’t get so hot as it sometimes does!
As to me, I prefer a climate controlled crypt to spending time outside in the summer. (Uh-oh, I probably shouldn’t have used the word “crypt.”)
Happy Summer!
I actually like hot weather. In fact, I’m dripping wet with sweat right now because I was doing some dirty work outside (and I was in the shade actually!).
This is the funniest thing I’ve ever read … from the Mississippi Ordinance of Secession – this is actually in the first paragraph after the preamble as a reason to seceed …
Translation: “You gonna make us white folk work out in THIS heat? I don’t think so!”
Exercise and physically hard work – performed under arduous conditions keeps you fit I believe.
Summer SolstIce – well it’s a lot more fun in Europe, where they seem to actually celebrate it. I’m not in Europe now – but will be traveling there in July. Too late for the Summer Solstice celebrations. 🙁
Krulac: If you’re in the vicinity of the Appalachain Trail, you can enjoy the splendors of Naked Hiking Day… 😉
No but I’ll make a special trip up there if they’ll put my name in a book somewhere as having done it!
There’s a nude swimming club above the Arctic Circle on a Norwegian possession named Bear Island. They have a naked bather’s club that has about 2500 people in it. Myself and a female Norsk engineer I normally work with want to join it – but we can never talk the captain of the ship we’re normally on into stopping there. 🙁
We will keep trying though! 🙂
You know what they say, it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity. Well, I agree about the humidity, but dagnabbit, it *is* the heat. Here in Milwaukee, there’s 100% humidity right now, but the temp is only 70° so it’s delightful.
Milwaukee!! You guys have my favorite gym in the entire U.S.! The Animal House Gym! That’s a real guy’s gym! Sure wish I had some tank tops from there again I wore all my old ones out. Awesome place. RED motiff!
And here in Australia’s capital it is woolen sweater and electric blanket weather. BRRR.
A joyous, if somewhat belated, Summer Solstice to one and all.
Woof woof.
Happy Dog Days, as I was too late to wish you a Happy Summer Solstice.