Summer's Almost Here

SUMMARY: Seasons are never static.

The sun has begun its steady climb to the north. Day by day it advances, like a slow heartbeat, setting a minute later each evening, rising a third of a degree more northerly every morning, flying a third of a degree higher each noon. With the winter solstice, Aten slipped below the horizon at his earliest, four fifty, with the afternoon barely begun. By summer solstice, we will see and glory in his blazing face until seven thirty.¹

A few days past, frost greeted me every morning. Then we had a day of rain, a day of sun, a day of clouds and drizzle, and today another beautiful day of sun. I'm sure I see the grass sitting up and taking notice and starting to take on its fresh summer new-growth green. Of a sudden, the DYCs² are bustin' out all over (yes, even with some trees not yet finished dropping last year's leaves).

I grabbed my dogs and a frisbee and strode briskly into the light that was quickly growing golden. Through the border fence, I could see Mount Hamilton capturing some of the pre-sunset glow.

At the park, we were able to get some good frisbee in as the sun sank and the wispy clouds came alive with color.

Boost's tongue got a great workout.

The sun pulled its last beam below the horizon at 5:13, already almost half an hour later than just before Christmas. I can feel summer coming, just in hints here and there. And fifteen minutes later, the colors reached their most intense, and then we headed home.

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¹8:30 with daylight savings time! Find the times for your location here.
²Damned Yellow Composites. Hard to tell one member of the Asteraceae family from another.