harald johnson

author, publisher, swimmer

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Hygge Highlights

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me and Birgit
Me and Birgit sharing a bit of Hygge at the pool recently. (photo by Rob Gutkowski)
Hygge? It’s a Danish word (pronounced “hoo-gah”) that integrates a feeling of well-being, contentment, and coziness through simple and everyday experiences. About creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying good things with good people.

In my case, it’s not only sitting by a crackling fire and sipping wine, but more. Like these things that led up to today’s Autumnal Equinox . . .

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Summer Breeze

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field of dreams
Even though I shot this photo in April, it was starting to feel like summer to me. See the grass moving and undulating with the breeze?
There’s a lyric line in the 1972 song “Summer Breeze” by Seals & Crofts that goes: Summer breeze, makes me feel fine; blowin’ through the jasmine in my mind. (Can you hear it in your head? I can. Find it online if you need a reminder.)

The song captures the feeling of a summer day. A mood. Of long days, long swims and hikes, and the end of long days of writing my latest novel.

Here are some highlights leading up to today’s Summer Solstice . . .

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Embrace the Light!

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Bradford pear trees
A line of Bradford pears just down the road.
It’s the Vernal Equinox. Halfway between the two solstices. And around here, we’re seeing strong signs of spring. The daffodils have been up for a while, but the Bradford pears, the forsythias, and the cherry trees are peaking with the maples ready to pop.

This is a wonderful time of year in central Virginia when the days are longer and the air is finally warmer. Time to really enjoy the outdoors. Time to embrace the light, both literally and metaphorically.

Some recent developments . . .

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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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