A something in a summer’s noon —
A depth — an Azure — a perfume —
Transcending ecstasy. – Emily Dickinson
You may have noticed that this essay posted fifty minutes late today; that was fully intentional, because I couldn’t resist the opportunity to have the moment of posting coincide with the moment the apparent path of the sun reached its northernmost point at 10:51 UTC (5:51 AM where I live). I say “where I live” rather than “where I am” because as you already know I’m not at home right now, and the moment of solstice occurred well before sunrise here in Denver. Those of you who have followed this blog for a long time know that I’m not really upset about missing the summer’s heat at home; though it’s not as sweltering there as it is in New Orleans it’s bad enough (though as my body ages I find it easier to endure the heat and harder to endure the cold). And though I won’t be home to pick many blackberries myself, I hope to get at least a few while I’m home for Independence Day. Then it’s off again to the eastern half of the country, and by the time I’m home again summer will be dying and my beloved autumn will be on the way. I hope to be able to enjoy it the better for having had (I hope and pray) a successful book tour, and if you’d like to help that to happen please donate to my fundraising campaign on GoFundMe. I wish each and every one of you equal success in whatever summer projects you undertake.
Blessed Be!
The solstice is such a special day, and I regret that in the US it passes mostly without notice. Yesterday I was in Estonia, where they take most of a week off work and call this time Jaani Paeve. Big bonfires are burned, beer is drunk, babies are conceived. The sun does not set until 11:30 pm and comes back up around 2:30 am again. You are now in my home state of Colorado, where the morning must seem dark by comparison. And here in Michigan, it is wet and cold, just as in Scandinavia. A slushy snow fell and the temp was 3 degrees Celsius in Tallinn. In Michigan, the corn is 3 inches tall, about where it should be in the middle of May. A chill has spread all around the north of our planet, and it’s on this day, Jaani Paeve, that people should stop, look up from what they are doing, and take notice of the earth. Then, of course, celebrate, because what else is there to do about it?
Have a happy solstice in Denver Maggie.
Happy Solstice! Although, after this, we start to get that unrelenting sweltering heat here in Chicago. Yay.
Just to celebrate, the BBC has two documentaries about Stonehenge today.
I am so glad you had a joyful Solstice. The best thing about being Unitarian-Universalist is you can celebrate ALL the holidays. And if we weren’t on Daylight Savings, the sun would have been peaking over the horizon just about on time. I would have suggested going up to Falagstaff in Boulder, or Lookout Mountain in Jeffco: you might have seen the sun peeking over the horizon.
I hope everybody enjoys their summer, I definitely will, having gone through a TERRIBLE winter.