Friday, June 22, 2007

Summer Solstice

Yesterday was officially the first day of summer and the Northern solstice (for any readers Down Under). Today we began the slow march towards winter as the days begin to shorten. Don't believe me? See for yourself.

Here's how Jean Craighead George describes this phenomenon in her terrific book, Dear Rebecca, Winter is Here.
December 21
Dear Rebecca,
I turned on the lights to eat breakfast this morning and put on my coat to go outside.
Winter is here.
It was brought by little hands of darkness. Each little hand is a few minutes long.

In summer they began bringing winter. They pulled the night over the edges of dawn and made the days shorter. One June 21, while you were cooling off under the hose, winter began.
Summer is my least favorite season of the year, so I confess that I've always been secretly thrilled by the passing of the summer solstice and the promise of shorter and cooler days to come.

2 comments:

  1. I'm with you. I'm counting down the days now until September. I love the longer nights of fall and winter and the return of colder weather.

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  2. What a neat image!

    I'm tagging you with a meme, http://mentortexts.blogspot.com/2007/06/five-things-meme.html.

    L.T.

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