At 2:11 p.m. EDT this afternoon the sun will reach its northernmost point for the year above the celestial equator - the plane of the Earth's equator extended outward into space. The moment of the Summer Solstice also marks the traditional beginning of summer for the Northern Hemisphere (and winter in the Southern).

In some cultures, of course, today marks not the start of summer, but mid-summer, and tonight is Midsummer's Night, when the sun never sets above the Arctic Circle. And for meteorologists, the statistical summer actually began on June 1, and runs through Aug. 31.

While the sunrises have been getting later since the 15th, our sunsets will continue to creep later in the evening until June 27. The real import of the solstice, however, is that from today onward until Dec. 22, the days will gradually grow shorter, and the nights longer. We have begun the inexorable slide toward winter, and into darkness, and cold.

But what am I saying? Forget about all that. The hottest days of summer still lie ahead, in mid-July on average, thanks to the air and oceans, which are slower to heat up under the high summer sun. The garden is growing and the living is easy. And the solstice is as good an excuse as any to celebrate the sunshine and raise a glass to life and warmth. Skol!