I always like coming back to New York in May, but this year’s return was particularly exciting. The new digital display ad campaign for A Woman Named Rio was launched this month, and I am enjoying a higher than normal volume of emails on this website. Between answering correspondence, planting flowers, expanding my little herb garden and getting together with people we haven’t seen all winter, the month of May has just flown by. For me, the outdoor entertaining season begins on the Memorial Day weekend, and I am happily researching new recipes that I hope will delight friends and family throughout the summer.
By the way, who decided that summer officially begins around June 21st each year? Shouldn’t it begin right after Memorial Day when the traditional rule says you can officially wear white? As I write this, I am decked out in a white silk shirt, white linen pants and a white lace duster – May 30th is close enough! However I feel compelled to research the actual timing of summer, so let’s see what the internet has to say on the subject.
According to my on-line research assistant, June solstice is on Tuesday, June 21, 2022 in the northern hemisphere when the earth’s orbit puts the North Pole at its maximum orbit resulting in the longest day and shortest night of the calendar year. In the southern hemisphere, this same June solstice signals the beginning of winter.
Do we really have to wait for the longest day with the most sunlight hours to declare summer? Not necessarily. This information is all astronomically based. Meteorologically, there is a different calculation. Meteorologists divide the year into four seasons based on the months and temperature cycles. When using their system, Summer begins June 1 and ends August 31. Isn’t that more like it?
What do you think? Weigh in on this website’s Contact Form and let me know. Also, if you happen to see Rio’s display ad below on any of the sites you visit, let me know where you were surfing at the time. I’d love to hear about your interests.
