harald johnson

author, creator, mighty fine swimmer

HJ post

Winding Down

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UW walking
What’s going on here? To find out, keep reading. Photo: Rob Gutkowski
The Autumnal Equinox is today, and as usual, it marks a seasonal shift in several realms for me.

First, of course, there’s the weather. Cooler, less humid, crisper. And much shorter days as we’re halfway to the winter solstice.

It’s also a kind of winding down. Of a season. Of the year. Maybe even more. Here are some winding down highlights with some things in opposition happening at the same time . . .

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Solstice Spinning

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Today is the Summer Solstice!
Today is the Summer Solstice!
The earth spins through its seasonal cycles because of its 23.5-degree tilt off the vertical of its orbital axis. In plainer words, it leans over as it rotates every 24 hours and as it revolves once a year around the sun. And when that lean reaches its maximum tilt toward El Sol, that’s when we hit the Solstice, the longest day of the year. We in the Northern Hemisphere call it “summer.”

Here are some recent highlights of the lead up to summer 2023 for me so far . . .

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Coming and Going

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three generations in Germany
Three generations coming and going. That’s me in the middle, European style.
I was wondering about the “vernal” in the Vernal Equinox (today). So I looked it up. It’s from Latin: of or pertaining to spring. Also used for springlike, fresh, young, youthful.

And, of course, it’s the point where we’re halfway from the winter solstice to its summer complement. Sort of like a coming and a going. Helping me think about recent events in my life and what’s coming down the road . . .

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