Signs of Solstice

Yesterday was the longest day of the year and at quarter to nine in the evening it was still day enough to ride home from my secret hideout across town without a light. I had my rear blinkie-dink on, but haven’t yet replaced my lost helmet light and can’t find my headlight. Wore my radioactive glow-in-the-dark jacket, at least.

This always feels like such a ripoff here in Oregon. Reaching the longest day of the year would imply that we’re well into summer, while in fact it’s barely begun to warm up at all. If we’d been baking in the scorching heat of summer for a month or so, we might feel like it was appropriate to be starting down the path of shorter days, but not NOW. Summer hasn’t even started here. We had an early surprise summer in April or May for a week or two (which never happens here), but aside from that, I for one have been wearing my woolly cap in the early morning hours.

On my way home I saw something I’m not sure how to interpret. Here’s a picture.
What do you see? A pencil lying on the pavement, right? Ha! Not so simple. The fact is that for some time I’ve been toying with the idea of starting a blog about pencils. I adore pencils, and have hardly any outlet for my thoughts, feelings, musings and opinions about them. I try talking to my friends and co-workers, but often they’re interested at only the most superficial level. With a blog I could speak to people all over the world who google the word pencil. People would be coming to ME.

I wouldn’t necessarily put meaning on finding this pencil if not for two things. One, it was a Dixon Ticonderoga, which is the pencil in its highest form. Two – it was pointing right at me! What would you think? There, in the middle of the street, directly in my path on my route home? Come on.