As usual, Shakespeare has it exquisitely right; Midsummer Night’s Eve is a magical time. Those of us who live in the northern latitudes also know Midsummer as a glorious, cosmic reality not a dream.

The apex of our star, the sun, will occur this Thursday, June 21. It’s time to take our cue from the Scandinavians, experts in Midsummer revelry, and celebrate!

My most memorable Midsummer’s night was spent in Sweden at a wedding. The bride was radiant, the wedding was in a real castle (complete with moat), the sky was luminous at 11:30PM and everyone involved was still speaking at 1:30AM.

Wherever you are in the Northern Hemisphere, the time has come to buy some bottles of Riesling or bubbly stuff and a case of strawberries. Drag the kitchen table and chairs outside. Invite the neighbors over to watch the sun go down at its highest northern point. (In our case the telephone pole to the right of our neighbor’s barn). Any children present can be put to work weaving flower crowns. Toast the longest day.

Of course it’s all downhill from here. We’ll be losing one minute of daylight each day from now until the winter solstice. But for now, consider your glass half full, or, better yet, fill your glass to the brim. Just don’t fill it so many times you feel like a donkey head the first full day of summer.

Wedding planning is only slightly more pleasant than walking through an active minefield. This goes for everybody involved, but I’ll focus on the parents of the happy couple.

The role of the bride’s parents is simplicity itself. “Keep your mouths shut and your checkbook open.”

A dear friend informed me of the protocol for the groom’s mother. “Keep your mouth closed and wear beige.” Experience proved she was right on target.

I offer this advice for the father of the groom. Since the groom’s father is totally irrelevant to the wedding planning process, it is best he take a vacation to Mars. That would be far enough away so he won’t have to hear his spouse cry, rant or do both simultaneously.

Everyone involved should focus on two goals for the wedding day. First, that none of the participants break down in hysterical sobs, and, second, that everyone is still speaking to one another when the last dance rolls around.

Our wedding day is not the best day of our life. If it were, the next 50+ years of marriage would be all downhill, an extremely depressing thought.

We cannot plan, program, anticipate or buy the best days. They arrive spontaneously and unrehearsed. The trick is to recognize these special days when they strike.

1. What is your political party?
2. Do you like to go camping?
3. Do you enjoy oatmeal?
4. What do you do with your socks after you take them off at night?

Everybody pretty much agrees that feeding birds is a good thing. Feeding raccoons and other wildlife is generally frowned on. Try telling this to the raccoons.

My husband and I run The Tooley Cafe in our backyard. Dress code is feathers or fur. We absolutely do not practice discrimination; everyone is welcome.

The first guests arrive just before daybreak. Thirty-six species of birds enjoy our hospitality. Jays, cardinals, finches, sparrows, grosbeaks, woodpeckers, wild turkeys, the list goes on and on. I must admit to cringing when a cowbird comes to snack. But our seeds are not just for the meek and the beautiful.

Our most unusual visitor is a handsome black, white and rust colored bird. When our trusty “Birds of Wisconsin” book failed to provide an ID, we consulted an ornithologist at the Milwaukee Museum. He informed us the bird is a Varied Thrush whose habitat is the Pacific Northwest, although “a few turn up in Wisconsin”. Ours has turned up three years in a row. Guess he likes the menu.

In the mammal dept., the chipmunks scamper back and forth with bulging cheeks. Occasionally, one squeezes into the feeder and gorges. It’s hilarious to look at your birdfeeder and see a chipmunk staring back from behind the glass! The red and gray squirrels also cart off carloads of seeds every day, while the old groundhog steadfastly munches away.

Dusk brings the onset of the evening guests. A raccoon will climb a branch to the tray feeder and shake down about $15 worth of oiled sunflower seeds to his cohorts below. Skittish deer and rabbits take quick bites from the birds’ corn pile. Opossums soon join in the feast, and the party keeps on until dawn.

We certainly have no need for a television. There’s a 24 hour show right outside our windows. And sunflower seeds are definitely cheaper than plasma. Click on the picture to see guests.