Shrinking days are back!

Somehow, I missed yesterday summer solstice. I’m so conditioned in thinking it happens on June 21, that my persuasion blinded me once more. I’ve added a calendar to illustrate my recurrent mistake. 

Most of us know that the summer solstice happens when one of Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere (Northern and Southern). 

For those of us who live up north, the summer solstice is the day with the longest period of daylight and shortest night of the year, when the sun is at its zenith. 

This also means a continuous daylight at either pole on that very day. The opposite is obviously the winter solstice, which we’ll discuss before Christmas. Now, the summer solstice holds a variety of meanings across cultures and history. For us, in the North, it marks the day with the longest period of sunlight. It's the official start of our summer, a time of warmth, growth, and abundance. 

Many cultures view it as the triumph of light over darkness. As days begin to shorten after the solstice, it’s also a reminder that summer's light won't last forever. In Europe it’s time for Bonfires, feasting, and maypole dancing. In Peru it’s time for ancient Inca festival honoring the sun god Inti and celebrating the agricultural year's midpoint. 

It’s also Litha in pagan traditions celebrating the sun's strength and the abundance of summer. For me it’s time to work on the family skis, repair their scratched bases, sharpen their dull edges and wax them with tender, loving care!