Sunday, June 21

Fathers Day, Summer has arrived, solstice

Let’s start with Fathers Day. My father, Frank G. Simmons, left us for his final reward a few years ago. Dad was my role model, my teacher and my friend. I miss him. Dad was a WWII veteran and returned home on a hospital ship. Life was not always good to him, but he made the best of it. My mother and he raised four children in a comfortable and loving home in Baltimore. Dad was a member of the Masonic Order, AF&AM and believed in their tenets of faith, hope and charity. Freemasonry has been in our family for many generations. Dad’s profession of belief in a Supreme Being allows me to rest secure in the knowledge that I know where he is now. Happy Father’s Day, Dad.

The beginning of summer is today, marked by the summer solstice. This occurred early this morning at 0145. Today is the longest day (sunlight) of the year. Here are some fun facts about summer solstice:

· Pagans called the Midsummer moon the "Honey Moon" for the mead made from fermented honey that was part of wedding ceremonies performed at the Summer Solstice.

· Ancient Pagans celebrated Midsummer with bonfires, when couples would leap through the flames, believing their crops would grow as high as the couples were able to jump.

· Midsummer was thought to be a time of magic, when evil spirits were said to appear. To thwart them, Pagans often wore protective garlands of herbs and flowers. One of the most powerful of them was a plant called 'chase-devil', which is known today as St. John’s Wort and still used by modern herbalists as a mood stabilizer.

Today is gray and windy. The fog horn sounded off and on all day. Brenda and I went to the shop. She worked on sanding and staining a bureau and I continued my clean up. I removed old fluorescent lights and will replace with incandescent. Back at the house I repaired a few leaks in the water system and rewired a torchiere lamp. We just had dinner are are sitting down to watch some TV.

Now that summer has arrived we are expecting sun, warm temperatures and visitors!