Last night we had Thanksgiving dinner with some neighbors. It was on the vernal equinox. A spring rain fell that afternoon and released the scents of the dawning season, which could be felt as much as inhaled.

I realize there is a lot to unpack in that first paragraph. Thanksgiving dinner in March? The equinox? Smells of spring that can be felt? Let’s start with the equinox because that is the simplest.

Most of the year, the Earth’s axis is tilted toward the sun in favor of one hemisphere over the other. Think: marshmallow on a skewer. Your skewer is sticking right through the middle of the marshmallow, and when one side is brown enough you turn it over and toast the other side. Well, Brazil and Chile have been toasting themselves while we’ve been freezing up here in New York. Now, it is our turn.

The equinox........

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