Almost the Solstice

The June sun is blindingly bright in the early evening, and higher in the sky than noon in December.  I know this is true across the country, but our extra degrees of northern latitude add an intensity to the light at Solstice.  No wonder people go slightly crazy, and anyone who has to get up early is sleep deprived this time of year.  There's always neighborhood noise outside when I'm trying to get in my 6 hours and 58 minutes of sleep. The alarm goes off at 4:40, and the birds have been chattering for a hour.

Watering pots becomes a big chore in June.  The fig tree still doesn't have enough leaves to shade the bonsai collection, and the plants appreciate a drink twice a day, especially these beautiful old larch trees in the shallow container.  I gave them a spring haircut the other day with the Japanese bonsai scissors my friend Candi gave me last summer.   There was something about using that fine, specialized tool that made me want to slow down and do a more careful job. Which of course is the whole point of bonsai.