Solstice Son

I was googling around on the subject of "solstice" and came across an interesting detail, that I hadn't known before today. My mom was born on December 22, 1913. As it happens, December 22, 1913 was the winter solstice that year. This year of course, the solstice is today December 21. But I have a question. Isn't it exactly a year from winter solstice to winter solstice? Isn't that what defines a year, i.e. one complete trip around the sun. Our calendar is only a pretty good approximation of a year, one that has to be corrected with a leap year now and then. My point is: Lillie Anderson Miller is exactly 96 years old today, not tomorrow which one might expect when looking at the calendar. Happy birthday, today and tomorrow.

So these photos are the earliest known photos of baby Lillie, taken in 1914. The first one is taken with her Aunt Minda, her mom, Hansine, and dad, Richard Anderson on their farm in Burnett County, Wisconsin. There is also a cow in the photo, apparently a very important cow, and a well loved cow, to show up in this photo. I think the photo was taken by Jake Hansen, who is in the next photo with baby Lil. Lillie is dressed identically in both photos in what appears to be a baptism outfit. Baptisms are important events that should be recorded for posterity. The shadow of the photographer indicates a male in control of the camera.


In the second photo, Jake Hansen is holding his new niece and looking a little uncomfortable. The photographer, from the shadow, appears to be female - either Hansine or Minda. I think Jake took his hat off for the photo.



The cold weather continues here on the tundra. We continue our below freezing streak, now a record for this early in the winter season, 19 days and counting. A huge winter storm is supposed to attack on Wednesday, and is expected to toss a monkey wrench into people's travel plans (monkey wrench??).

And I'm a son of a solstice baby. And not the only one.