Today is another delight. The air is clear. The sun is bright. The wind is strong and cooling. It is 70˚, near perfection. Today the Summer Solstice, mid-summer, started at 5:13 this morning. Today is the longest day of the year which means it has the shortest night. Today we celebrate summer, a magical time.

When I was a kid, the field below my house was filled with fireflies. They lit up the night. It was like watching a light show, a haphazard show of a light here then here again then gone across the field. I used to sit on the tiny dirt hill behind the houses and watch the fireflies. The field delighted me. I believed it was magical.

When I saw Stonehenge, I had to walk the two miles from Amesbury having missed the bus. I remember standing on a bit of a hill and getting my first look at Stonehenge off in the distance. It looked grey and small surrounded on three sides by a huge field, but the closer we got, the bigger it got. The size of the monument was overwhelming. There were no barriers to the stones. I could walk the perimeter and see the patterns of the stones and imagine what was missing. I touched a stone and wondered about its history and its connection to the Summer Solstice. I always believed in the Druids. I believed it was magical.

Bonfires used to be lit to welcome Midsummer. It was believed the heat of the fires would help guarantee a good harvest. Also, it was believed that bonfires could help banish evil spirits. I remember bonfires on the beach, in the sand, in holes we’d dug. The flames lit up the night. They jumped from one dry driftwood piece to another. I remember the sky behind the beach was filled with stars. It was magical.

During the summer solstice, magic is thought to be at its strongest. Since the fireflies, I always have believed in magic this time of year. I could see it with my eyes. I could touch it. I love the Summer Solstice, the wearing of flowers and herbs to ward off evil spirits, herbs like rosemary which I always plant in the deck boxes. Coincidence? Maybe! Maybe not!