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June 20, 2018: Solstice Plans

I do like having a bonfire on December 21, the winter solstice. By 7 p.m., the time when most gather, it has been dark for three hours. After, most go home and go to bed. The summer solstice, on June 21, is the opposite. No bonfire because (usually) the sun is shining. And at 7 p.m. the evening is still young.

Tonight we are hosting a barbecue here and a solstice ride up to the bench. A few riding buddies are coming over. I will ride Raudi and Pete will ride Hrimmi. After, we’ll do chores and perhaps some garden work. I expect that we’ll get to bed around 1 p.m. As it is, we have been eating dinner around 10 p.m.


A Squirrel lives under the barn

Most think about daily biorhythms, and few think about seasonal biorhythms. This is because so many spend their time indoors, under artificial light. And they keep their houses at an even temperature, turning up the heat when it’s cold and turning on the air conditioner when it’s warm. They keep cars in garages and get into their cars in this indoor environment. Up goes the garage door. It’s no way to live; although I suspect that their seasonal sleeping patterns are consistent.

My friend Ruth’s husband Michael works for the fire department. He was telling me last night that some of his co-workers are on their cell phones all day. He said that some respond to over 500 text messages a day. It is hard for me to grasp the enormity of this. Since acquiring a cell phone, I have sent and responded to four text messages total. There has been no need to send more than this, and even those four were rather frivolous.

I wonder if those who text incessantly figure out what they are going to do early on in the day, and include getting out and about in their plans. I seriously doubt it.

It’s a beautiful day here, not too hot, not too cold, and the sun’s now shining brightly at 10:30 a.m. Today I am going to work on Forks for a while, and then I am going to do my body awareness work outside. This morning I was experimenting with jumping off and onto the barn shelter ledge. I then took a literal leap of faith and jumped up onto a tree trunk – this was while wearing my red rubber boots. Brave me.

I have to go to dentist (yes, a trip to the dentist in Wasilla shoots the entire day) and get a new set of retainers. Then I will come home and ride Raudi to Grizzly Camp. I am riding her before doing the bench ride because we do need to get in the miles.

One of the nice things about riding this time of year is seeing the change in the foliage. The wild geraniums are now in full bloom, and the wild roses are now in partial bloom. The dandelions are now in their prime, and our bees seem to be taking advantage of this. And the cow parsnip is now just a little above knee height.

I don’t know what became of my parents when they died, but right now I’ll bet they wish they were here. Maybe I should text them.

Next: 172. 6/21/18: It’s Been a Hard Day’s Ride, been Working Like a Dog

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