Stonehenge Sunset

When we surfaced this morning at our usual pre-dawn hour, the world was two hours and sixteen minutes into this year’s winter solstice.  I could already ‘feel the burn!’  Well, not exactly, but it is comforting to know that the days will gradually get longer now; the darkest part of the year is behind us.  I hope that’s true in every sense.

I’m not getting out my sunblock just yet, though.  Although today is the Winter Solstice, according to timeanddate.com, the shortest day of the year is tomorrow.  (Don’t ask!)  Then we’ll start gaining one to one-and-a-half minutes of daylight each day of January, escalating to two or two-half minutes per day in February.  Usually, toward the end of February (actually about the time of my birthday on the 28th) is when I truly begin to notice the lengthening days.

Marta La Rue, Mayan Goddess, 2012

This is the second year in a row that we’ve spent the solstice eve in the company of a ‘goddess.’  Last year, we were in Marin County at this time and we went to a solstice event with the goddess, herself – Marta – who took part in a celebration in Corte Madera at the Golden Gate Center for Spiritual Living.  She performed as a Mayan goddess, a reprisal of a role she had done several years previously.

Last night, however, Marta wore a Santa hat and her activity was more elf-like than goddess-like.  She put the finishing touches on the tree and, even more elfishly, repaired her step-brother’s sixty-one-year old Christmas stocking.  It now has a full complement of jingle bells which had been falling off for the last several decades.  (Leave it to an elf to put the jingle back in any of us!)

Meanwhile, Charlie called from Medford: car trouble!  So, instead of arriving last night, we expect him for a late dinner tonight.  I’m hoping against hope that the watchwords for today are “Here comes the son…”