This year, I was finally able to get Up North to the cabin for Summer Solstice. It was so lovely. I didn’t do anything special in terms of food and I didn’t have a ritual prepared, but just being amongst the pines and by the lake was magical enough! So, so healing.
I had never been in the north woods in June before. It turns out that it is the time when all the dragonflies come up from the lake to molt and finally get their wings! It was crazy for us. It started out with me noticing just one…and then another…and another….and ANOTHER. They were everywhere on the deck and pier! It was so magical (ok, and a little creepy) to watch them emerge and spread their wings! It takes about three hours, I have read, for their body to fully harden and dry.
And then we were left with dozens the casts of their former selves, called an exuvia. See? Kind of…creepy 🙂
It got pretty hot up their too. Over 90 degrees! Ugh. Thank god for the lake!!! My mom’s dog goes swimming with us. As the sun was setting on the Solstice my boyfriend was lying on the deck and got a great picture of Finley looking like a savage beast lol
And of course there was a lot of wine 🙂
I am back home now, dreading the work week that lays ahead of me. It is always a rollercoaster of extreme happiness followed by extreme despair (stuck sitting for 8 hours at a desk day after day with no creative outlet. YUCK). The only thing that keeps me going is knowing that I will be back up there with my entire extended family in less than a month!
One final thought. June contains both Father’s Day and my Dad’s birthday. It is always an incredibly painful month for me, since come this September he will have been gone for 10 years. I am so thankful for all the good memories I am left with though, and there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of him. So Thank You Dad. Happy Father’s Day and Happy Birthday.
May your soul find peace and contentment. Until next time,
-Alison
Old Pine Hollow 