Summer Has Arrived!

**The Summer Solstice Arrived at 10:58 yesterday…**

Dear Reader:

I don’t know about you but I am past ready for those ” Lazy Hazy Days of Summer.” To date this hasn’t happened… just the opposite… stressful last days of school with state testing, crazy weird virus, deer and squirrels annihilating my favorite plants… only to bring them back to get eaten again.

And monsoons… lots of rain, clouds, humidity, dampness inside and out… but hope is eternal and yesterday it returned with the sun for a short interval just in time to celebrate ” Solstice” officially at 10:58!!! For the Northern Hemisphere… the longest day of the year!!!

There is a lot of folklore, of course, associated with the Summer Solstice…

In ancient Egypt the solstice arrived and coincided each year with the rising of the Nile- this annual occurrence was particularly critical to predicting the annual flood and its arrival to make the fields fertile again.

In Egyptian mythology it was said the Goddess Isis was mourning her dead husband, Osiris…. her tears making the Nile overflow its banks and fertilize the fields for food for ancient Egyptians.

In Ireland … the Irish cut hazel branches on the Summer Solstice to be used to search for gold, water, and precious jewels.

Many European cultures hold Midsummer Celebrations-there are Solstice gatherings at the Stonehenge and the lighting of bonfires on hilltops.

Today( even in our country) bonfires are seen on beaches , mountains, back yard campfires. ( wondering if Rutledge and Lachlan will experience a big bonfire tonight to honor Summer Solstice at camp? ( In ancient times… the fires were to ward off evil spirits and let the light of truth and beauty in. ) Nice thought!

There are also fun facts associated with Summer Solstice… one true fact… one’s shadow ( if picture is taken at exactly the Summer Solstice moment (10:58) will reveal your shortest shadow of the year!

I welcomed summer by giving thanks and gratitude to my home, garden, friends, and family… I had my own private Summer Solstice ceremony in the garden… thanking each plant for their beauty and perseverance! What joy they bring me!

**My mandevilla is climbing the trellis -every day!**

So until tomorrow…

Today is my favorite day -Winnie the Pooh !

About Becky Dingle

I was born a Tarheel but ended up a Sandlapper. My grandparents were cotton farmers in Laurens, South Carolina and it was in my grandmother’s house that my love of storytelling began beside an old Franklin stove. When I graduated from Laurens High School, I attended Erskine College (Due West of what?) and would later get my Masters Degree in Education/Social Studies from Charleston Southern. I am presently an adjunct professor/clinical supervisor at CSU and have also taught at the College of Charleston. For 28 years I taught Social Studies through storytelling. My philosophy matched Rudyard Kipling’s quote: “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” Today I still spread this message through workshops and presentations throughout the state. The secret of success in teaching social studies is always in the story. I want to keep learning and being surprised by life…it is the greatest teacher. Like Kermit said, “When you’re green you grow, when you’re ripe you rot.”

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