Adios to spring, here comes summer

Today is Juneteenth, marking that day in 1865 when the U.S. Army sailed into Galveston Bay, Texas, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation, ending the custom of human ownership in the Lone Star State. It has been observed in New Mexico since 2006, and now that it’s a federal holiday, I guess you could call it Independence Day - The Sequel.

There’s always been something special about June, the month of roses and June brides and your various birds and various bees. I’ve always thought of June as when a young man may find himself strolling through a wooded glade, hands clasped in back, reflecting on the poetry of Lord Byron or Shelley. Maybe something from Robert Burns, like “O, my love’s like a red, red rose, that’s newly sprung in June…”

Or not.

I would venture to guess that those classic love poems have nary a place in today’s rush-rush world. Frankly, with what’s in vogue these days, I can’t imagine a hip-hopper getting all mushy and sentimental like that. I mean, is a gangsta rapper apt to stroll through the dell pondering a rhyme for June or moon?

Speaking of the moon, the prevailing hypothesis is that billions of years ago an asteroid or small planet smacked Earth with a glancing blow, knocking it 23 1/2 degrees off its axis, and then circled off to become “The Moon.”

That tilt makes for the four seasons, with today being the last full day of spring. The summer solstice happens tomorrow at 10:41 p.m. The day with the most hours of sunlight – something like 14 hours – as opposed to the winter solstice when it’s reversed.

I sometimes wonder what it would be like if the Earth had no tilt. There would be no seasons which would make life very boring indeed. But, no matter how you look at it, we’re in for three months of blessed New Mexico heat. But it’s a dry 102 … right?

I’ve done some checking on the comfort level, climate-wise, in different places across the country. This is where humidity plays a vital role. For example, Florida boasts about its sunshine and lack of winter weather, but its comfort score is 42, whereas Socorro has more sunny days and a comfort score of 73. The nation’s average comfort score is 44. I got all this on the bestplaces.net website, by the way.

Of course, there’s more to being comfortable than the climate, but this says something good about our “dry” heat, at least.

Anyhow, the first full day of summer is Saturday, and I expect everyone to celebrate in some shape, form or fashion. I don’t know what it would be, but jumping naked over bonfires is not recommended.

In the meantime, I’m celebrating the summer season with a cool beverage and my summer songs mix tape. WTH? That’s a term that died with the advent of streaming music, but I can’t relegate it to the cassette dustbin yet.

You probably saw that the Beach Boys songwriter, bass player, producer, and resident musical genius Brian Wilson passed away last week, and since tomorrow would have been his 83rd birthday, it’s fitting that I’ll have a good dollop of the Beach Boys in the mix, including, but not limited to, Good Vibrations, All Summer Long, Fun Fun Fun, Surf’s Up, Heroes and Villains and the album Pet Sounds in its entirety.

Same goes for another music innovator we also lost last week, Sylvester Stewart, the founder of the first truly integrated rock band, Sly and the Family Stone, whose song Hot Fun in the Summertime never grows old.

Since I seem to be so obsessed with dates, tomorrow, June 20, is also Take Your Dog To Work Day, so in the spirit of things, I looked up this little factoid: 58 percent of dog owners consider themselves their pets’ mom or dad.

Speaking of pet owners, who admits to any of the following:

• Nearly a third of pet owners spend more time with their pets than with family or friends.

• Six out of 10 pet owners say they would spend $1,000 or more to save their pets’ lives.

• 70 percent report that playing with their pet when they are stressed or worried relaxes them.

• Half say they celebrate their pets’ birthdays, and almost 80 percent give them gifts for their birthdays or holidays.

But I digress.

The only problem that I have with the summer solstice is that the days are going to gradually get shorter and before you know it, it’ll be time for Christmas shopping.

But, hey, why wait? Next Wednesday is what’s known as LEON Day - NOEL spelled backward - the halfway point between last Christmas and next Christmas, so you can probably expect nonstop Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel.