My Daughter's Art Piece

"What nature-lover's tongue can tell,
What golden pen portray,
The outpoured, flaming splendors
Of a bright September day?"
Charles G. Stater

Happy September! We've had so much rain this week we are feeling water-logged, but I am not complaining. We've been in severe drought these last two years, so I'm grateful to see, feel, and smell that wet stuff that falls from the sky. But right now, the sun is shining and for the moment at least, it is a bright September day. This is one of my favorite months because my daughter was born in September. It's also a nice transitional time between the heat of August and the coming fall.

Speaking of my daughter, right now I'm looking at one of her art projects that hangs in my office over my printer. A landscape done from pastels, this piece shows the sun setting over purple mountains with a green valley and blue lake below. The water reflects the fiery sun as tall water plants on the shore frame it. The blues, purples, and greens of this piece catch my eye and hold it. When I look at it, I think of her and of the Creator Who created the landscape and inspired the art (and the art teacher). And I give thanks for the beauty around me, both inside these four walls and out.

Have a bright September day.

A Softer Shade of Beauty

School is back in session so we're getting up and out early. This morning, while I was loading the car, I could see pink through the garage windows. I ran to the ones that face the front of the house and saw some faint streaks of pink. That little bit of pink sifted through the trees onto the grass, the driveway, and the curled-up leaves on the driveway, and turned them all a softer shade of beauty. When I will realize that when morning breaks, I should be out on my porch drinking it in? I need to figure out how to carve out some morning minutes for that.

Summer Breeze

"Summer breeze...makes me feel fine..." Do you know that song? Recorded in the '70s by Seals and Crofts, it was one of the first songs I liked as a 'tween (now I'm dating myself). I've heard it a lot recently. Our favorite restaurant plays a cover of it by a different, probably younger, group on their music track. They do a good job with it, I think.

I've had occasion to sing it to myself lately because I've been outside a good bit. Three weeks ago today, a stray dog "found" us--or found our front porch, rather, which she was using as home base when I discovered her. She's reddish brown, 30 pounds, and has a face like a fox. We jumped through all the hoops to find her owner, starting with checking her microchip, which had outdated information on the owner. We researched on the internet, posted flyers, talked to vets, and emailed area rescues. In the meantime, "Lucy" has been charming us with her sweet and gentle ways, and our dog seems to like having a playmate. Yes, we're in trouble.

Yesterday, while I was letting both dogs outside, I stood on the shady part of the deck. The August heat can be oppressive here, especially with the almost ever-present humidity, but a few days this week, we've actually had a breeze. Ahhh. It's amazing what a difference it can make. One morning, the breeze went through and rustled the leaves on the trees that surround our deck. The birds were singing and occasionally a poplar leaf would fall. Butterflies were feeding on the butterfly bush below and the dogs chasing each other at full speed from the yard, along the lower level of the deck, and up the stairs to where I was.

I thought about how my daughter starts school tomorrow, which signals the end of summer. Soon all the leaves will fall and the breeze will turn chilly. But for now, for the next six weeks or so, whenever I can, I'm going to enjoy that "summer breeze...makes me feel fine."

Heirloom Beauty

When I was growing up, summer for our family meant tomato sandwiches. My grandmother had a garden for most of my childhood and my mother and sister and uncle would help her tend it while I watched TV game shows inside with Papa. I wasn't old enough to help, and he wasn't in good health. They would work and work and work and come in hot and tired with their bounty of vegetables, including big, red, juicy tomatoes. We'd eat a tomato sandwich for lunch and take some home with us, along with green beans, corn, and other veggies. Those tomatoes live in my memory as one of the staples of my childhood.

A few weeks ago, my daughter and I went to a small, organic farmer's market held weekly in our town. There we saw tomatoes of every size and color and shade: red, pink, orange, yellow, green. Little "chocolate" cherry tomatoes along with yellow cherry tomatoes that were shaped like tiny squashes. Small green ones for frying. And big beautiful heirlooms the size of my palm. The farmer spent several minutes explaining to us the characteristics of each color and type of tomato. Honestly, I had no idea there was such variety! My daughter and I bought two of the heirlooms, one green, a container of the cherries, and, because a pretty bouquet of pink and purple flowers.

I gave one heirloom to my parents because I knew they would fully appreciate it. When I sliced into ours, the juice and earthy smell were released and I was taken back to those summers of my childhood. Ahh...That was the best tomato sandwich I've had in 25 years.