Summer solstice happened this year on June 21st at precisely 1:45 AM when the sun stood directly over the Tropic of Cancer. So welcome summer and welcome my horoscope sign, Cancer the crab. I am a true crab. I love my home and get a 'mite tetchy' when absent too long from it. In addition I love all domestic rituals-with the notable exception of housework-and true to the astrologer's description, am "...creative, sensitive, and can be quite moody." You got a problem with that?
In honor of del sol, I rooted around and unearthed a wall hanging made in 1997. The occasion was a challenge from David Textiles to use their latest line of fabrics called An Enchanted Garden . The two pieced blocks are Full Blown Rose and haiku poems are written in each one. Ironically, while neither poem is about summer (they're on spring and fall) the sun imagery comes through as the strongest element of the piece.
The haiku were from my favorite haiku book, A Net of Fireflies, by Howard Stewart.On this anniversary of summer solstice I remember June 21, 1974 when I was in
England and with thousands of like-minded hippie souls, headed to Stonehenge for the occasion. Modern Druids, bikers, backpackers from every country converged on the monument. But the most fun was the night before since most folks camped in the woods at the edge of Salisbury Plain. The trees were so huge you couldn't get your arms around them and as gnarled as any drawn by Arthur Rackham. While wandering from bonfire to bonfire, I picked up a companion, a spritely beer-drinking Brit with long hair, glitter on his face, and wearing four-inch silver platforms. Even then he didn't come up to my shoulder! I finally ditched him by weaving quickly through the forest although I could hear him for a long time, stumbling along in his heels, yoohoo'ing, "American girl, oh, American girl."
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