A Sodden Solstice

[poliphilo]

I like the Google Doodle of the knitting hands but "first day of winter"? Surely not. I've never heard the solstice called that before.

Yesterday was bright and clear; today we haven't see the sun at all. Rain has fallen steadily. The Donkey House- a former stable that is now just a place where blackbirds nest- is flooded to a depth of an inch or two.  It stands on sloping ground and the water is pouring out the back wall- through gaps in the brickwork- with force enough to power a hamster-sized water wheel.

Comments

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That's crazy.

The seasons start when they please, irrespective of when we say they do.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

And, indeed, in most of the United States, that's ACTUALLY how we think of it. Autumn starts when the leaves change. Winter starts when the leaves have all fallen, and frost and snow start. Spring starts when the flowers begin budding; summer when it gets all summery.

Even if we have these official dates, which make no sense, even if we can talk about what better choices for the official dates would be, in practice, we recognize that the seasons start when they start.