I am missing the sun.  This is not because of today’s eclipse, but because of where I live.  I grew up in South Jersey, which I thought was the northeast, but I did not know what northeast meant until I moved to Massachusetts.  When I first moved here I was starting my family and I was quite busy so I think it took a couple of years for me to notice that something was going on.  It may have been one of my trips back to NJ in the middle of the summer when I said “Hey!  It is a lot lighter here later!”.  I had been living in Michigan for a few years which is at the complete other side of the Eastern time zone so it was light there until almost 10:00 so I was not shocked when I moved to Massachusetts, I expected that change.

Now, in 4th grade we had to learn all about the state of NJ;  the state bird (the American Goldfinch in case you were wondering), the local industries, natural resources, and all of the other facts about the state. Countless pieces of posterboard have gone into displays showcasing these things.  It was also in elementary school that I filled out and colored in more than one poorly drawn over mimeographed (copied for you youngins) blank map of the US, but I never paid much attention to New England except to note that NJ was not the smallest stated  thanks to Delaware AND Rhode Island.  I certainly was not taking note that Massachusetts and poor Maine were dangling out in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean practically in their own time zone.  

So what does all of this mean?

It means that after the 4th of July the sun takes a complete nosedive into oblivion such that by the end of August it is straight up dark by 8:00.  Dark people, like seeing the stars dark!  

I try with all of my might to hold onto summer and pretend like it is not thaaat dark. Meanwhile die hard New Englanders are already pulling out impatiens and putting in mums.  Oh and Halloween candy showed up this year before the end of July. What the?!?! There are people up here who skip fall and go straight to skeletons and witches.  Meanwhile I have strict rules.  No pumpkins, mums, or orange leaves until October and no spiders, skeletons, or jack-o-lanterns until about 10 days before Halloween.  By then the leaves are falling behind me as fast as I can mow them up, my driveway crackles and crunches with acorns, and it has gotten cold enough that the heat has kicked on.  It’s Fall, then Winter…  

My father and I have taken to celebrating the Winter Solstice because even though it takes months to notice a darn thing, psychologically we know that everyday we are getting closer to that glorious shimmering globe in the sky.