Saw in year’s long night by roasting marshmallows in the backyard firepit of a friend’s new house. The air here is chill, but not cold, no sign of that just-might-freeze edge it sometimes takes on this time of year. Haze dimmed the moon, gentled its edges, made the night a little darker than it might otherwise be.

The smell of woodsmoke still lingers on my clothes. Tomorrow, the days will start getting longer again. We have mixed feelings about that around here, but in this season of cool nights and warm days, it’s hard to truly believe in 110 degree summers anyway–and the extra light will be welcome, even if the cold is not something we seek to escape.

And so the year continues turning round. A good and joyous solstice to all.