CHAPTER DCXXVI

A GOOD-HUMOURED MIDSUMMER CHAPTER, CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF A SOLSTICE, AND SOME OTHER NATURAL AND CULTURAL PHENOMENA: WHICH ALTHOUGH IN THEIR WAY ARE NOT QUITE SO FAITFULLY OBSERVED IN THESE DIGITAL TIMES

As brisk as bees, if not altogether as light as butterflies, will the Parker clan assemble on the eve of the twenty-first day of June, in the year of grace in which their familial adventures will be undertaken and accomplished. Midsummer is close at hand, in all her bloom and leafy beauty; it is the season of hospitality, merrymaking, and kinship; the year is preparing, like an ancient goddess, to call this family together, and amidst the sound of feasting and revelry to mark the longest of days. Festive and joyful is the time; and right festive and joyful are the hearts that are gladdened by its coming.

And numerous indeed are the hearts to which Midsummer brings a brief season of happiness and enjoyment. How many families, whose members have been dispersed and scattered far and wide, in the restless struggles of life, are then reunited, and meet once again in that happy state of affinity and mutual merriment, which is a source of such pure and unalloyed delight; and one so incompatible with the horrors and sorrows of the world, that religious beliefs and atheistic attitudes alike number it among the unique joys of human existence, provided for the blessed and happy!

How many old recollections, and how many dormant relationships, does Midsummer awaken. Happy, happy Midsummer, that can take us back to the land of our childhood; that can recall to the aging woman the pleasures of her youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveller, hundreds of miles away, back to her own clan, hearth and home!

Summer at sea

 

Summer abuzz

How are things with you, sweetie darlings? Buzzing or plugging along?

The abyss stares back

Temperature: 20/68 degrees. It hasn’t been this cool in…well over a month. It’s but a brief respite, the heat promised to return over the weekend and stay put for another X weeks. A subcontinent once preoccupied with keeping warm is now working fast to learn how to keep cool. That means changes to energy use and production, construction of housing and infrastructure, everything under the scorching sun and increasing rains. How to help the natural world adjust is another matter.

Drinking: I made rhubarb juice! Again!!

Eating: And like twelve different pies. It’s quite high-yielding, our patch. Not complaining, mind you. I freeze what we don’t use so we get to taste summer all year long.

Watching: my favorite Austen, Brontë and Gaskell adaptations.

Listening: to the sounds of summer, which my youngest has been recording, both audio and visual. I thought how wise and sweet of him until we chatted about it and I realized he is recording things he expects to lose over time, at least to some extent. I had to excuse myself and go cry in the bathroom. This. This is what we are doing. This is what our dawdling is doing. To our children and their future. They are being so very brave and hopeful, so positive and innovative, because the alternative is this…abyss.

Reading: my favorite Austen, Brontë and Gaskell novels.

Thinking: The Pegasus project revelations, ugh and duh, another Evil Corp at it, and not the only one, everything that can be done will be and is being done, so crying that this is not what it’s meant for is the Zuckerberg defense, and we all know his motives are both obvious and dubious, it’s like arming yourself for personal/national/regional safety and defense, the business end of your arsenal is still meant for threats and offense, and for all your, ahem, good and noble intentions, that is what it is being used for so zip it, or fix it, or have some standards, the bar doesn’t seem all that high so it shouldn’t be all that hard for a security software company, no, that’s like calling KFC a vitamins and supplements supplier, insecurity company then, and what good is end-to-end encryption when the whole device can be hijacked on the hush-hush, come to think of it, and you know what else I’m thinking, my blog so I’ll tell you, not interested then what are you still doing here, life is short, the clock is ticking, yes, so, with all your possible and probable resources, all your data and know-how, all that you could be doing, this is the scope of your ambition, this is what you’d rather do above all else, enable oppression, drive division, for profit, o-kay, but with everything going on in the world, all the problems waiting to be solved, this is your contribution, o-kay, okay okay okay, just wondering, always wondering, about everything, one of my favorite pastimes, truly, just endlessly curious, but, ew, eternal shame on you, if I were a vindictive person I’d wish long covid upon the whole lot of you at it, or maybe a visit from some other virus, something you only dreamt of but couldn’t quite make happen, you know, because this is absolute we-sure-are-being-humongous-dicks-but-do-we-give-a-flying-fuck-hell-no-show-us-the-money assholery, but since I'm not, what I wish is for some form of common agreement that this has gone too far for far too long and has to stop.

Feeling: This calls for more Austen, Brontë and Gaskell.

Smultronställe 🍓

Temperature: a sunny cloudy sunny then cloudy 29.5/85 degrees.

Drinking: is not a good idea in this heat, sweetie darlings, alcohol is a diuretic.

Watching: Black Monday. The cast and the writing, the costumes, hair and makeup...two thumbs way up.

Listening: to plans being made, we’re leaving the city for a bit.

Reading: God Equation: The Quest for a Theory of Everything by Michio Kaku.

Writing: birthday invitations now that it’s okay to gather outside, and we have two birthdays to celebrate this month, including mine. Yes, you’re invited. Bring bubbly! Yes, I know what I just said about alcohol hydrating you. I’ll provide the water, snacks and cake. Chocolate? Strawberry? Mango, lime, some other fruit? RSVP ASAP!

Thinking: The heat, the humidity, the droughts, the rains, the fires, the extremes the flora and fauna, our bodies, homes, infrastructure can’t and should not be forced to adapt to…damnation, dearest denizens! Can we sue the fossil fuel industry for criminal intent of the reckless kind? They knew. And decided not only not to care but actively obfuscate the hell out of it.

Feeling: Pride Month is done but the work is not so let’s keep banging that drum and supporting our fellow humans in their fight for autonomy because equal rights are human rights and WTF Poland and Hungary (et al. mind you) no seriously WTF how dare you marginalize the marginalized even further and conflate queer with pedophilia NO SERIOUSLY self-determination look it up your policies are damaging and your attitude an insult and your values so dated and so regressive Europe gasps in shame and no child no youth no adult should be afraid of being and showing their true self as we only get to ride this roller coaster once and how dare you squeeze yourself into someone else’s car and spoil the fun of living and strip others of the right to live with dignity no se-ri-ous-ly how dare you how could you ever think it's about turning someone into someone they are not it is and has always been about allowing every single soul to be who they are because we are who we are and love is love and love is the higher law.

Man, it’s a hot one 👒

Temperature: Well, it is for us: 32.5/90.5 degrees. I hear it’s 46/115 in Las Vegas, so I’m not complaining. Happy summer solstice, sweetie darlings! ☀️ Or winter solstice, depending. 🌐

Eating: watermelon and brie.

Drinking: water and then some more water.

Watching: the miracle of growth.

Listening: to bumblebees in the flowering raspberry.

Reading: about business anthropology.

Thinking: Dualism, capitalism, neoliberalism, growthism...WTF are we doing?

Feeling: Sit, be still, and listen, for you are drunk and we are on the edge of the roof. (Rumi)

Kiss me hard before you go

When in Scandinavia, do as the Venetians do: say goodbye to the summer and sailing season with a festival of water, fire and light. Why? Why not? We are all Europeans, some southern, some northern, all bound by a common history and traditions that know no borders. So that's what we did last weekend, the last summer weekend. Ate, drank and made merry.

Teetering on the northern edge of the globe as we are up here, the sun now veers away day by day as summer surrenders to fall. The mornings keep getting cooler and the nights darker, but the days still offer some warmth and light, and this child of the tropics is soaking up all she can get before it's irreversibly over. We sweltered May through July and many are relieved the heat has moved on, but I'd like one last sizzling smooch before we part.

Kiss me like you'll miss me, because I sure as hell will miss you, dearest loveliest summertime.

Cruel summer

Source

Winter is coming

We've been saving up for a winter vacation so this summer, we decided to go on a staycation, an inexpensive, laid-back way to spend two weeks, right? Wrong. We've been running around like mad, meeting up with people in amusement parks, water parks, ballparks, park this and that, no free parking, no free time, no kidding. It hasn't been cheap and it hasn't always been rest and relaxation.

So why not just stay put? I know. But this is Scandinavia with its four seasons, and fall is just around the corner. Better enjoy summer and those attractions while we can. Not that it hasn't been fun, don't get me wrong. Some of the stuff we've been doing, some of the places we've been visiting, don't work so well when it's cold. Some aren't open at all. Plus I've been captain of this ship all June and July, so it's wonderful having Hubby with me from dusk till dawn and the whole family together the rest of the day. (Hear a but yet?)

But. Perpetual Pleasure went through edits. Fast. Clean manuscript, good job, thank you very much. My editor tweaked my blurb some, here's your release date, congratulations, your book is about to come out! Which makes me pretty damn proud of and pleased with myself. So what's the problem? I'm supposed to be on vacation! Something the whole family has waited for all summer long. I promised myself I would focus on family and friends, family and friends, only. They deserve it. I've earned it. And where's my head at?

Release day. (Publish or perish!) Promo. (Post or perish!!) Social media presence, or, in my case, absence. (Promo or perish!!!) All the things I should be doing that I'm not doing because I'm on vacation, feeling torn, failing family, failing friends, failing my publisher, colleagues, career, doing a half-assed job of everything, feeling guilty about the fun I'm having because I should be working, feeling guilty about every thought I spare on work because that's not what I'm supposed to be thinking at all.

(And then there's this other thing, a related thing, that has been keeping me up at night because of the things I've been seeing and hearing and experiencing for myself, but more on that some other time, ok? It's complicated.)

My kids don't seem to notice okay my oldest has, but Hubby sees and he listens and he understands. Next week, life will resume normal programming and, oddly enough, Hubby and I will have more time for each other since I work from home and he works the oddest of hours. (We've had a total of two nights all to ourselves this summer. I miss him. Not the father of my children; my husband.) 

And maybe working from home is not the problem, maybe staycationing is. Same chores and errands as usual, the desk that reminds you you have work to do. I know I'll feel differently in the winter, I always do. That's why we opt for a Far Far Away vacay as often as we can afford one. No desk. No dishes. The sun, the sea, the sand. Books to read. And when no one is looking, maybe a book to write as well.

Solestitia

Or, Midsummer magic and madness.

All quiet on the Northern front

Not! Last weekend was carnaval weekend in Helsinki and next weekend is Midsummer, the biggest party of the year up here. My brother's and sister's families will be with us, which is a total treat, but there's so much to do before Friday I try not to think about it too much, just tackle one task at a time.

Wish you were here! I could use a helping hand... Oh well. For a closer look at Scandinavian solstice celebrations and summer craziness, stop by the 69 Shades blog on Saturday when I'll be talking about these longest days of the year. See you there on the 23rd! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to.

How soon is now

For a lady who really likes her footwear, I'd rather not wear any. But sometimes one must, so I put on my fanciest flip-flops, and no, that is not a contradiction in terms, these are as bling as they come, and hauled Hubby and the fruits of our love and lust into town to soak up the city in the summer. Holy Moses on a motorbike! No, I didn't see Moses on a motorbike. Believe me, I'd have pictures.

What a transformation. A metamorphosis. One hardly recognized those streets. One hardly could make out the streets, they were jam-packed. The ladies were looking quite lovely and the gents mighty fine; buskers on every corner; cars vintage and voguish cruising the streets just for show; tourists from all over the world; fresh foodstuff sold and eaten in the parks and market squares.

Summer is the most inspiring and least productive time of the year here at the den; laid-back and freewheeling. But it's a Janus-faced affair, a race against clock and calendar when you do your damnedest to concentrate on concentrating in the moment, the sights and scents and sounds and sensations of summer because they will be gone soon, way too soon. It's also Christmastime spread out over some two and a half months with visitors coming and going and with our family meeting up with friends and relatives for picnics or barbecues or a day at the beach.

It's a blast, and it's another day away from the office and another night spent playing catch-up. I've learned to adjust, I've had to, to take on only projects I can live and work with with a clear conscience. That means less time for everything work-related for a few weeks, but there's no playing catch-up with the seasons. I can preserve food all summer long but I can't bottle a summer day, as lovely as that would be. And what a first world problem, making less money but still making ends meet while actually enjoying yourself, so this ain't a complaint, dearest denizens, merely an observation.

Mother Nature has been very generous this year. The warmth, or heat, coupled with the occasional thunderstorm of diluvial proportions, has helped produce a heap of tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, lettuces, onions, red peppers, chili peppers, and herbs galore. The raspberries are huge, there are gooseberries and blueberries aplenty, there will be plums and apples in abundance, we got out first grapes this year, and Hubby managed to grow watermelons. Watermelons, in these latitudes. [The higher the latitude, the starker and faster the effects of global warming. Wake up and come smell our citrullus lanatus arcticus if still in doubt.] I've asked for mangoes, limes and avocados while he's at it.

What I haven't stocked up on is fall/winter fashion. Look. I can look at the spring/summer collections in November. No problem. I cannot and never will grant winter apparel a glance or a thought before my fingers and toes start going numb, okay? I'll have to settle for leftovers when I finally get around to dragging my freezing tush into the stores to at least consider having a look at something, you say? See my concern. *stares at the screen, expression never changing* I solved that problem long ago. I buy items that fit my body type, coloring and personal taste whenever something suitable comes along. That means clothes that don't scream 'latest fashion' but therein lies the catch: pieces that don't scream the exact month and week I picked it up. Won't touch the latest stuff unless they're timeless enough to tempt me, meaning meeting the prerequisites mentioned above. Fitting, stylish and ageless? Sold.

Oh but I'm raring to go, my mind and notebook filled with ideas to look and dig into, questions to be answered and answers to be questioned. But we'll have to talk about those some other time. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go chop some firewood. Winter is coming.

P.S. Receivers at the ready, folks, for the Cave Chaos launch, take two, on New Dissident Radio, from 4 to 5 pm (EST).

Whew

Northern exposure

As in, a week in the life of a southern girl from the north, or, moments of pleasure:

Strawberries straight from the field, blueberries from the forest.

(Speaking of which...a concise yet accurate description of the landscape as seen through the windshield of a car in which said southern girl was trapped for ten hours, and ten more driving home: trees, fields, a lake, a town, trees, fields, a lake, a smaller town, trees, fields, a lake, an even smaller town. Get the picture? So much better experienced up close and personal. Friendly locals with unintelligible dialects, golden dunes of rye and barley, tourmaline cathedrals of pines, birches and spruces, alders and junipers.)

Sprints down the pier, bombs in the lake.

Fresh salmon, herring and "new potatoes," i.e. of the newly harvested early variety.

The balmy heat and steam of a smoke sauna.

"Mom, why do I have a nose?" "Mom, why do men have nipples?" "Mom, why is the sky blue? Or water?"

That hammock big enough for two.

Days without shoes.

And then: a pair of red ones. "Honey, you have shoes." "Not these, I don't."

Muse, live. "Love is our resiiistaance..." Oh yes oh yes oh yes.

The music of Gemma Ray, Imogen Heap and that Kate Bush album I thought I'd lost I found.

A writing problem I solved without actively thinking about it.

It's oh so quiet

It is. And über hot and humid, which spells home and paradise for me, my Southern home; not your typical Scandinavian midsummer. One of my summer sons was born on a very long and dry one, another on a cold and rainy one. You could hardly tell where spring ended and fall began. Such is the weather up here in the northernmost North. Unpredictable.

One thing's for sure. Come visit any major town around midsummer and run into other visitors wondering where everyone is and if maybe Chernobyl blew up all over again and only the locals have been evacuated. An exaggeration maybe, but only a slight one. Visit a suburb and get a definite feel of a fallout heading your way. 

July, or the three to four weeks following the Solstice are The weeks to go on vacation up here. And off people go, for several weeks at a time. Summer cottages, trips abroad, visiting relatives far and wide, tours of the country, Europe, America. We haven't seen most of our neighbors for a while now. You can throw late night garden parties without much bothering anyone. If you can get anyone to attend since no one's home.

I love going downtown in the summer. Everyone's smiling. No one in a hurry. The ever-efficient northerners don't freeze in their tracks in the winter. The cold doesn't stop them from functioning. Give 'em a heatwave and watch them go in slow motion. Finally. But good lucking getting in touch with the head honcho of anything or even meeting friends anywhere. Gone, baby, gone.

As if it weren't quiet enough, we're driving ten hours toward the middle of the country and disappearing into the woods for a week on an estate with a long history by a lake with no name. Definitely out of my usual fare, out of my comfort zone even, and a staple Scandinavian holiday.

And if you never hear from me again, the mosquitoes won the war on mosquitoes.