Religion
Related: About this forumA happy and blessed Summer Solstice
to those who celebrate it in whatever form: Sunstanding, Midsummer, Litha, St. John's Day.
Do some birdwatching, have a picnic, plant some flowers, soak up some rays.
hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)okasha
(11,573 posts)Right now I'm being birdwatched-- a flock of tufted titmice are right outside my kichen window, twittering over the strange behavior of humans.
Have a beautiful day, amigo mio.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)I am setting out on a new path this summer and am very excited about it.
New location, new habits, escaping from an addiction of over 45 years, renewing my primary relationship and preparing for my 7th decade.
Let's celebrate!!!
okasha
(11,573 posts)May all the bright energy of the season light your life and carry you toward your goals.
Erich Bloodaxe BSN
(14,733 posts)Picked 11 cups of black raspberries from my back yard this morning. Thanks for the reminder to put out more food for the birds, though
okasha
(11,573 posts)Wiith so much, will you make a pie? And congratulations on your two green thumbs!
Erich Bloodaxe BSN
(14,733 posts)As the light shifts, I can see berries I couldn't in the morning. I'm closing in on 4 L for just today, and almost 8 L for the season thus far, so I could make a couple of pies, but we actually freeze the entire crop, then have a canning fest just before year's end, and give out black raspberry jam as gifts.
And with raspberries, you don't need much in the way of a green thumb. The problem is keeping them from taking over the entire yard, not keeping them alive.
It appears we have, at least for a bit, less wildlife around. The two feral cats that had been living next door are gone. The woman who lived there had put out food for them, and when she died, her children kept returning daily to feed them, but they finally sold the house, and appear to have caught and taken the cats off with them. So the yard will be safer again for the birds and small mammals.
okasha
(11,573 posts)Squirrels are expanding their range in my city. Originally they were confined to a strip of remnant forest along the river, but have no expanded into a residential section miles away. It's an older area, so there are lots of mature pecan trees and oaks.
roody
(10,849 posts)Return of the night.
Tomorrow, the night grows longer.
Tomorrow the heat grows stronger.
Tonight, the shortest night,
Today, the longest light.
okasha
(11,573 posts)Last edited Sat Jun 21, 2014, 04:38 PM - Edit history (1)
Thank you.
And thank you for your sig line. Somehow the stray or abandoned critters in my neighborhood always find me. And I'm a soft touch for anything with four legs or feathers.
TM99
(8,352 posts)Today is our 7th anniversary. We are going to spend it likely in a cool movie theater and restaurant.
It is a bit hot here for me especially to get out in nature. However, I did enjoy a wonderful sunrise watering my hearty little plants and feeling grateful for some wonderful recent blessings in my life.
okasha
(11,573 posts)Your plan to stay cool sounds great. S. Tex. is pretty warm, too, but we've had some considerable rain over the last few days that got everything watered nicely and cooled us off by about 10 degrees. Will probably do some transplanting, but have sworn this is the day I'm going to get really serious about a writing project I've been fiddling with off and on and start a Conte crayon drawing of some baby squirrels.
Enjoy your special day!
pinto
(106,886 posts)Spent some time this morning at our CA Ag Extension's annual plant sale with my sister. She re-doing her planting beds with local, drought tolerant species. Added muffins, berries and whipped cream to the outing. Nice start to the day.
okasha
(11,573 posts)Local species are always best. I hope you and your sister enjoy your day and working on the planting beds. I've been conscientiously avoiding plant sales but have decided to give in to temptation today and pick up a few more chismes (moss roses; portulaca) for a mixed planting in a large pot. No hope that I'll come away with just those. No hope at all.
rug
(82,333 posts)We're going on a picnic.
okasha
(11,573 posts)It's the perfect time for one. Just remember to keep your drinks covered!
struggle4progress
(118,041 posts)okasha
(11,573 posts)I hope yours is filled with good things and much enjoyment.
Benton D Struckcheon
(2,347 posts)28 years ago, at high noon. No lie. No religious reason but it does make it easy to remember...
okasha
(11,573 posts)May you have many, many more happy ones.
Benton D Struckcheon
(2,347 posts)okasha
(11,573 posts)Two more and you'll hit the big three-oh!
Dale Neiburg
(694 posts)My circle/coven did its traditional re-enactment of the battle of the Oak King and the Holly King last night, with me playing the victorious (till Winter Solstice, when we do it again and Holly loses) Holly King. We go on the road tomorrow and do a slightly different version of it for a Solstice service at the local UU church.
okasha
(11,573 posts)When I was teaching, I always did Gawain and the Green Knight with the sophomore Brit Lit surveys. The kids loved the underlying story of the Oak and Holly Kings and Morgan the Goddess. I have a collection of funny things my students unintentionally wrote, and one I shared with the whole department was the explanation of Gawain's quest: "He searches a year for the Green Knight so he can blow him."
Jack Rabbit
(45,984 posts)It's one of those events that happens every year that is sacred just because it happens. It doesn't need any human being to observe it. It will happen anyway, with or without us.
okasha
(11,573 posts)Solstice doesn't need human beings to celebrate it, but doing so seems to fulfill a need in us to mark the sacred in general and sacred time in particular.
Jack Rabbit
(45,984 posts)Our relationship to the Cosmos is exactly like the relationsip of the Ruling Class to the masses . . . .
We think we're the cat's pajamas, but we don't know what we're doing and we're in the process of destroying everything. It's clear that we need the Cosmos more than it needs us.
WovenGems
(776 posts)If you hug a tree it hugs you back.
okasha
(11,573 posts)but there's a very old, wise willow tree down by the Rio Grande who will hug anyone, anytime.
No Vested Interest
(5,157 posts)the daylight will begin getting shorter for the next six months, and I so love the long days and especially evenings of late daylight.
So I'll still enjoy each day in the present, and only gradually begin the shorter outdoor life, until at last, it can't be denied in Nov. & Dec.
For me, the winter solstice is a time of joy and expectation, when the days begin to lengthen and gradually get to the next June 21.