Well, the first day of summer 2008 is tomorrow. It's also the longest day of the year, when the sun hangs directly overhead in the Tropic of Cancer. Plus, we're in the glow of a full moon. Triple score.
Summer just plain makes me happy. There's no other way to say it, aside from that perhaps I suffer from a form of seasonal affective disorder in the winter. My mood really gets a lift when I'm out in the sunlight. It's a primitive, sunlight-exposure thing, I guess. Plus, the bold display of colors spilling out of my garden this time of year also makes me happy.
And we humans aren't the only ones who appreciate extended sunlight. In parts of Alaska, because most of the 24-hour period is bathed in sunlight this time of year, plants rally take off, growing at more than twice the rate of what we consider a "normal" day here on Long Island. So I'm sure the longer day tomorrow -- though barely noticeable to us -- will give our plants a little boost, too.
The sun is in the Tropic of Cancer, and my Zodiac sign is Cancer, so maybe that's why I love summer so much. And as each year goes by, I have less and less tolerance for the cold. Plus, the summer seems to slip by more and more quickly each year. Where is the justice?
