Did you know that Sunday, June 21, is both Father’s Day and the Summer Solstice?
I’m still feeling peeved that the stupid pandemic (remember that?) prevented me a few years ago from going to the huge annual solstice gatherings at Stonehenge. The various solstices and equinoxes are the only time of the year that the fine people at English Heritage who oversee this Neolithic stone circle allow real people like you and me to mingle among the stones.
Apparently this is quite the scene with thousands of people — including Druids and other pagan celebrants — and I wanted to be part of it, even though that would have meant leaving my nice warm hotel bed at 2 a.m. and getting into a van with strangers. (Neither one is on my list of favorite things.) I’ve read that people play acoustic instruments, sing and walk around barefoot there, all of which appeal to a Deadhead like me.
A tour company will drive you to Stonehenge and then leave you to cavort or do whatever people do at these sorts of things until after sunrise. The word “frolic” comes to mind, although I’d imagine there are also Wiccan and pagan rituals involved. (And, no, that’s not devil worship. Don’t make me come and slap you upside your head. It’s ancient worship of nature.)
For those of you who were texting during astronomy class, the summer solstice is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere (we live here), when that part of the Earth has its maximum tilt toward the sun.
Stonehenge was built some 4,500 years ago by Stone Age people, probably as a place of worship or rituals. Archaeologists have found 150 people buried there. Its stones are aligned with the movements of the sun.
At sunrise on the summer solstice, the sun rises in the east, just over the so-called Heel Stone, and shortly afterward its first rays shine into the center of the stone circle.
Sadly, we had to postpone our trip due to COVID and when it was finally rescheduled, it didn’t include the summer solstice. I’ve been to Stonehenge a number of times and always found it fascinating, but nowadays they’ve redone the walking path around the stones so you can’t even get close to them.
When we finally made it back there, on our rescheduled trip, it was bitterly cold and raining so hard that our weeny California-style umbrellas couldn’t even keep us dry on the long walk around the enclosure. I gave up at a certain point and went back to sit under an overhang and wait.
The summer solstice is also a big thing in Fairbanks, Alaska, which holds a “Midnight Sun” baseball game annually, played without lights.
I’m not much into astronomical events, so I usually need my stargazer brother to inform me of their happenings. If we were ancient Mayans, he’d be the priest informing me of the upcoming meteor shower sent by the gods.
Nowadays, though, meteor showers are nonevents where I live, because the sky is usually cloudy and I don’t have time to drive out to Joshua Tree for the dark, clear skies to see them. Still my bro faithfully reports them to me, along with other things I’m incapable of understanding, like the alignment of certain planets.
“Hey, the Venusian moon will be lining up perfectly with the big nose and comical hat of Pluto on Wednesday at 3 a.m.” he’ll message me. “You should get up and watch it.”
Now, there are things that will get me out of bed at 3 a.m., such as the smell of bacon or cute firefighters pounding on my door, but trying to watch planetary events isn’t one of them. Although if it somehow involved bacon, I’d probably try. If it involved bacon and cute firefighters, I’d get up for sure.
FYI: If I’ve now intrigued you about the solstice at Stonehenge, you can actually watch it live streamed on English Heritage sites at Facebook or Youtube. Here’s the Youtube address: youtube.com/watch?v=Z8a4eoxUIMw. Luckily for you slugabeds, the area is eight hours behind us, so you can watch the sunrise starting at 4:52 a.m. English time and it will only be 8:52 p.m. on Saturday night.
That is my typical Saturday night, by the way. Watching interesting events enjoyed by other people on TV, while I sit on my recliner at home with a fresh-popped bag of cancer-causing microwave popcorn.
And, of course, it’s also Father’s Day. This is of no interest to me nowadays, since my rancher father has gone to the big grazing pasture in the sky, and my adopted kids’ fathers are nowhere to be found.
Sadly for the rest of you, there aren’t as many deals to be found as on Mother’s Day, but there are always a few. I’ve noticed that Father’s Day deals often revolve around tasks for Dad, such as discounted tools or grilling accessories. Wirecutter magazine‘s listing of the best deals leads off with a … wait for it … nose hair trimmer. Truly. No joke. Can you imagine giving your Mom a present like that? I would have been scrubbing the kitchen floor with a toothbrush for a month.
You can write to me at mfisher@scng.com. I especially like it when you correct my grammar or send me diet tips. And join my Facebook page at facebook.com/FrumpyMiddleagedMom. We have fun on there.