Summertime and the livin’ is easy

June 21 was a busy Sunday this year. It was Father’s Day, the first day of summer and the longest day of the year. The thermometer at Citizen’s State Bank in Buffalo showed 101 at about 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. In Leon County ,Texas we do not need anyone to tell us that summer is here.

At 12:45 a.m. Central Daylight Savings Time the summer solstice occurred, which means the official beginning of summer for those north of the equator and wintertime for the folks “down under”.

The earth spins around its axis, an imaginary line going right through the planet between the north and south poles. The axis is tilted somewhat off the plane of the earth’s revolution around the sun. Thanks to the tilt, we enjoy the four seasons. If not for the tilt the sun’s rays would be directly overhead of the equator all year long.

When the axis tilts towards the sun, as it does between June and September, it is summer in the northern hemisphere but winter in the southern hemisphere.

On June 21, there are 24 hours of daylight north of the Arctic Circle and 24 hours of darkness south of the Antarctic Circle. Fairbanks, Alaska is the largest city close to the Arctic Circle and on the longest day, citizens there have all night softball tournament and golf tournaments and never turn on a light. On the flip side of that, they are in the dark all day and night on December 21.

With the convenience of air conditioning, TV and electronic games, we tend to hold up during these summer months and wait it out. That is such a mistake. Use the time to grab a fishing pole and take the kids or grandkids fishing. Fort Boggy State Park is the perfect place and it is free. On the way stop by the corner in Centerville and buy a watermelon from Oland Hopkins, who has been on that same corner for more than 20 years.