Friday Poem

Environmental & Science Education
Poetry
Art and Environment
Edward Hessler

Greetings from St. Paul on day 171 of 2020 during its 24th week. Behind us is 46.45% of the year or 119 working days. Given the pandemic it is hard to know what this phrase means.

It is World Refugee Day and also marks a truly historic event, Juneteenth (aka Jubilee Day, Freedom Day), the ending of formal enslavement in 1865. It was announced by Major General Gordon Granger who read the court orders in Galveston, Texas.

The sun rises at 5:25 am and sets at 9:02 pm or to put this in terms of sunlight there are 15 h 36 m 58s delicious hours.  Summer Solstice which marks the beginning of astronomical summer is in one day (tomorrow) at 4:43 pm, the longest day of the year--15 h 37m 01 s. That second is lost the following day--not that we'll notice it--and gradually, very gradually more seconds, then minutes and eventually hours of daylight will succumb to our yearly trip around the sun. June 20 is Ice Cream Soda Day, a good way to celebrate the Summer Solstice.

Friday Quote. The Star Tribune had the first of its growing food at home series featuring two gardeners June 14 (may be behind a pay wall) by Kerri Westenberg. one who ia a first timer. LeAndra Estis purchased a home last fall and among the first things she did was create two garden plots and just recently she introduced her children to vegetable gardening which made her happy when she was a child. After the last plants were in the ground one of them remarked "'I'm glad we're done.'" To which Ms. Estis responded "'Done doesn't happen.'" Westenberg wrote that this is a "fundamental truth and perhaps the ultimate tip."

Today's poem is by Tess Taylor.