After many weeks of heavy rain, blustery wind, and fire in
the woodstove to cancel the persistent chill, the Summer Solstice has arrived
in splendid fashion.
Brilliant sun falls through the lush foliage, woven into
a living tapestry around my woodland home.
Golden-green light suffuses the air, as tree boughs bend and
dip in the benign breeze.
The resident creatures emit a collective sigh of pleasure to
find themselves under a cerulean sky, basking in warm sun or lolling in cool
shade, after a challenging spring.
The nesting birds have had the hardest time, violently
tossed about in the frequent storms as arctic fronts clashed with humid weather
from the south.
It seems the black bears have fared better. They shyly emerge
in my yard from time to time, coats glossy blue-black and radiating good health,
despite the long winter and raw spring.
Butterflies and bees seem more plentiful this year, as the
late-blooming rhododendron opens her fuchsia flowers and irresistibly draws
them near, en masse.
The Long Days Time arrives with the Solstice, as Nature
starts to slow her pace and put efforts toward the growing fruit. The Long Days
Time announces the fulfillment of spring’s promise of abundance resulting from
a firm rooting in the Earth. It is the first of the three cycles of the summer
season
Today is the height
of the year, the Zenith Sun, the longest day and shortest night…
It was a magical time in cultures around the world for many
centuries. Bonfires blazed and blessings were petitioned for with cake and ale…
It is still a cherished time for humanity as a whole, as we
slow down and savor the beauty of the season.
May your gardens be fruitful and good times plentiful, as you
gather to celebrate the summer days to come.
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