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Summer Evening

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Chet takes the evening air while Charlie preens on a chair, the rubble of dinner all around.


This is a love letter to July, with a p.s. to June, the most beautiful Ohio June and July I can ever remember, with warm days and clean blue skies and evenings whose slanting light and cool air bring me to my knees. Star-sprinkled nights and dewy grass and mornings cool enough for sleeves. I know that New England has been drowning in rain; I know that the deep South has been broiling, but somehow the weather gods have grinned on Ohio. I know it will all end in a hot, humid flop but until then every single day is a gift.

The days are heartbreakingly beautiful, but it's the evenings I live for, when Bill comes home and we flop exhausted into our lawn chairs and breathe and breath, deep gulps, rinsing our lungs of the dross of our days.

We haul everything outside for dinner, and last night when I had the screen door propped open we let a hummingbird in by accident and Phoebe caught it a little shakily but expertly as it buzzed against a window, my bird-saving understudy. Even with all the carrying out and the hummingbirds flying in it's always worth it to eat our garden lettuce, peas, beans and tomatoes against a backdrop of golden sun and indigo bunting song. We listen for the yellowthroat and the scarlet tanager, the wood thrush and as evening creeps on, the whip-poor-will.

We watch Phoebe and Liam run and ride their bikes, roll and chortle and scream, and one of us always gets up to play with them, and it's not me.

The lightning bugs come out and when there are as many as there are stars in the sky we know it's time to go in.

And we feel blessed.

17 comments:

Just the refreshment of spirit and soul summer days should provide!

Oh, thank you so much for that beautiful ode. It reminds me to breathe deeply and enjoy each gift-of-a-day that we are given.

From a fellow Ohio-an, who is also enjoying this fabulous summer.

Claudia

And we are blessed that you share your sacred world with us. Thank you!

So true, the summer weather in Ohio has been wonderful...nice change from a crazy winter

~Becca

You are.

Ah--the halcyon days of summer.
You do well to enjoy it while it lasts.
Phoeba as bird-rescuer understudy. Sweet.

What a life!

So blessed to have a summer that is neither too hot or rainy. Although June was cold and wet in New England, July has been cool, moist, and we actually have a few nice days.

Record bugs due to all the rain, but it's just so nice to get outside, especially in the evening.

Nice Post, thank you.

Bill; www.wildramblings.com

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Thanks for the great word painting.
A nice reminder to slow down and enjoy what ya got!
had a nice, summery weekend in NH - hopefully I've soaked it up sufficiently that it'll hold me through the next bout of rain we are supposed to get. My plants will be happy at least!

I like what Jen in NH said: your post IS a word painting.

So...when do we all get invited over to enjoy it with you???

You are blessed. It sounds like heaven.

Julie
Here its is mediterranean, golden and dry with a hot wind. So good to be home! I could feel the summer air in your garden, what a lovely piece of writing.

Is BOTB slouching or is that a pot belly he's developing?

I always think that just the mention of "lightning bugs" immediately takes people back to their childhood!

Again... when will you adopt us all? :c)

You just described the most heavenly summer evening. Everything about it is perfect.

Yeah, will you ever adopt us? ;-)

What a beautiful scene. This is what life is about. After everything we have been through with Ellie in the last 16 months, I too get it and live for scenes just like this.

:)

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