“Apex. The throaty world sings ripen.
Our grove slips past the sun’s long kiss.
We dress.
We head home in other starlight.
Our earthly time is sweetening from this.”
Hey y’all! It’s June, and as my high school boyfriend Tony Aucoin used to say when it was hot outside, “Spicy baaaybuh!” The heat tracks, for it is during this month that summer officially begins in the Northern Hemisphere. Not only are the days fiery, they’re also long. The summer solstice, the longest day of the year, is a June resident. On June 21, the eye of heaven will be staring at us for up to 15 hours. Solstice comes from the Latin words sol, meaning “sun,” and stitium, meaning “standing.” It occurs over the Tropic of Cancer at 23.5°N latitude, when the sun is directly overhead (the zenith) and her rays hit the surface of the Earth perpendicularly at 90°. I think the excerpt above from Tess Taylor‘s lovely poem “Solstice” perfectly expresses the joy of being basted by Lady June’s sultry, self-indulgent days. Some summer-lovin’ peeps are so into solar excess that they celebrate with a festival called Midsummer. As usual, the party was started by the pagans (the originators of fun) to revel in the coming of summer and to partake in activities that would, hopefully, ensure a successful harvest. The soirée included drinking, dancing, singing, lighting bonfires to ward off evil spirits, wearing flower crowns to celebrate fertility, dancing around a maypole, women stashing flowers under pillows to hopefully get a glimpse of future husbands in their dreams, and cleaning house (hiya!) to purify and prepare the home for the luck and abundance provided by the sun! Many countries continue to celebrate Midsummer. It’s a national holiday in Sweden and Finland, so huge (pronounced “yuge”) that it’s second only to Christmas. The festival occurs between June 19 and June 25 each year, with Midsummer Eve on Friday (the night before the solstice) and Midsummer day on Saturday being peak party time. In order to make the celebration of the solstice less devilish and to focus all the attention onto itself, the Catholic Church bastardized the fun into the Feast of St. John the Baptist. In their interpretation, the lessening of the sunlight after the solstice is a mirror of St. John’s words that he is a mere lamp in comparison to Jesus’ sun-like glory: “He must increase, I must decrease” (John 3:30). So on June 21, I hope you’ll take advantage of the extra sunlight to reflect on the year so far, pick some flowers to celebrate growth and fertility, send good intentions for this crazy world, and maybe even clean your house!
How do I remove pollen stains from my clothing?
Oh, flowers—so beautiful, aromatic, and irresistible to bees. Oh, pollen—conveyor of floristic gametes, the agitator of my sinus cavities. One of my favorite flowers is the Stargazer Lily. I love its aroma and deep pink and white ombré. But boy oh boy, that orange pollen-covered anther is for the birds (and bees). It’s a real bummer when I bend over to get a whiff of the gorgeous Lilium and stand up with a garment covered in pollen. Pollen is like a magic potion, so it’s kinda hard to remove from clothing without leaving a stain. BUT it’s doable! Pollen has teensy spikes that secure it to insects in order to ensure its arrival at its fertilization destination. As you might imagine, the spiky pollen sticks to your clothing just as tenaciously. Pollen is coated with a protective sporopollenin shell called an exine. When wet or manhandled, the pollen shell bursts open and oils spew out and soak into porous fabric. The oily, wet pollen becomes a dye. Sooo, there are some steps that must be followed if we want to remove the pollen effectively and prevent a stain. First, take the clothing outside and shake off as much of the pollen as possible. Now grab some tape. Lightly press the sticky side of the tape against the pollen particles to remove them. Soak the garment in cold water for an hour. After the hour is up, rinse with cold water. Now pour your favorite laundry detergent directly onto the polleny area and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Finally, wash it in cold water. This should do the trick!
How do I take care of Formica?
Every time I hear the word Formica, I think of the recurring ‘90s sketch on SNL in which Tim Meadows, as host Leon Phelps, gives romantic advice on a show called “The Ladies Man.” During one of these sketches, a woman named Formica Dinette called in, and I nearly fell out of my chair laughing. It remains one of my favorite moments on TV. But all jokes aside, I love Formica. I actually have a beautiful, vintage Formica dinette, funnily enough. Formica®, a “High Pressure Laminate,” was invented in 1913 by electrical engineers Daniel J. O’Conor and Herbert A. Faber, as a replacement for mica in electrical parts. Eventually it dawned on the engineers that the plastic resin was not only durable but could be used to create very aesthetically pleasing things, such as countertops, the interiors of fancy-schmancy nightclubs, and even the interiors of ocean liners such as the RMS Queen Mary, among a gazillion other things. In order to keep its protective layer intact and pretty sheen shining, Formica must be cleaned with gentle, non-abrasive solutions. Squirt some mild dish soap onto a soft, damp rag and gingerly wipe the surface. For gunky stains, sprinkle baking soda and lightly wipe with a soft rag. I’ve read that for polishing Formica, vinegar and water can be used. I disagree wholeheartedly with this. I tried this once, and now I have a cloudy spot on my table. To bring back the bling to your Formica item, use a laminate cleaner. I like ECOS Furniture Cleaner + Polish. Good luck and congrats on having good taste!
Got cleaning questions? Email isabel@antigravitymagazine.com
illustrations by Ben Claassen III
