How are you spending the summer solstice?

[serious crayons]

At Beltane people had sex in the fields to ensure good crops, so why not have sex to ensure a good tourist season? 

Yes, that's what I was alluding to. It would be especially gross in New Orleans because the king is a middle aged man and the queen is a college student. Then again, historically that's probably a fairly common trait of sex-for-good-fortune pairings.

(As if gay men need an excuse to have sex. ... I suppose it's the same for straight people, too.  )

Ehh, I think it gets more complicated between straight people, for a number of reasons. 

[Sason]

But also ... 

Yeah, I know about it but I haven't seen it. I don't like scary movies.

[Sason]

You realize, of course, that a pole like that, like a May pole also, is an ancient phallic symbol?

Of course I do, it's common knowledge here.

Midsommar is one of the relatively few holidays that have nothing to do with Christianity.

It's an ancient celebration of summer and fecundity.

[CellarDweller]

[serious crayons]

Or, as Chrissi and I would sadly call it, Shorterdays. 

[Front-Ranger]

Thank you, Chuck. I worked on my rental renovations until 4 pm and now I'm just lazing and enjoying!

[Front-Ranger]

The editor of the Colorado Sun wrote this:

"I hope you weathered the summer solstice this morning OK and aren?t too far into grieving the diminishing daylight. I?m kidding, of course. We have months before we can honestly start complaining about that."

[Jeff Wrangler]

Today is the Summer Solstice. It feels like there should be some ritual of some sort.

Wednesday will be the Feast of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist (six months before Christmas).

[serious crayons]

The editor of the Colorado Sun wrote this:

"I hope you weathered the summer solstice this morning OK and aren't too far into grieving the diminishing daylight. I'm kidding, of course. We have months before we can honestly start complaining about that."

S/he's right, mainly because it stays warm and nice out for quite a while after June 21, so we don't have to start dreading short days until Labor Day, at which point it's like someone flips a switch. (Although personally, I tend to start dreading it as soon as I get catalogs with sweaters on the cover and I see a school-supply aisle in the store.)

Whereas we can start celebrating on Dec. 22, because although it's still cold out -- in fact, it's generally coldER than it had been before that -- we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. So to speak.

[serious crayons]

Interesting! When I see Lee's comment, the apostrophes have mysteriously changed into question marks, like they sometimes do. (Of course, I'm assuming Lee wrote them as apostrophes.)

But when I quoted her, I fixed the punctuation, and they stayed apostrophes.