Wednesday, June 29, 2011

June Notes

June is drawing to an end. Let me make a few notes before it slips away entirely:
  • With the exception of a few hot days, June has been unusually and wonderfully mild this year. The day lingers in the low 80s, then drops into the 50s at night. That is about as close to ideal summer weather as it gets in central Ohio. 
  • We have an abundance of fireflies. Perhaps it is the wet spring we had. Perhaps it is the cool weather. Whatever the reasons, the nightly displays in the backyard are staggering.
  • The rudbeckia at the end of the deck is starting to bud. Once the flowers open, our backyard becomes Bee Central to such an extent that you can sit on the deck and hear the hum.
  • My 2011 garden is going great guns, despite its pathetic start. It is as impressive as it is because of the kindness of my friends Kermit and Donna, who shared with open hands and hearts their starter plants. The tomatoes are flowering. The beans are up. We have been eating fresh zucchini for weeks. (Yes, I know, there's the weeding to do.)
  • Walking downtown yesterday, I passed a hopscotch pattern chalked on the sidewalk. No rock on it, or I might have been tempted to go a round or two.
  • The hopscotch game was  in front of the house which has a rocking horse on the porch. The horse's body is white, its mane and tail are fuchsia and "real" (not molded), and it appears to have lavender eye shadow and gold glitter around its eyes. Trust me, we are not talking about a plain old circus pony. We are talking about a just-jumped-off-a-merry-go-round prancer. It's the rocking horse I would have wanted as a kid.
  • Last night, the Symphony rehearsed for its holiday concerts. I arrived after it was underway, walking through the campus after stopping first at the library. The windows to the performance hall were open and "Phantom of the Opera" spilled out into the warm summer evening. I stood outside for an extra long moment letting the music wash over me. 
For the next few days, our lives will whirl around holiday concerts at three different locations: one tomorrow night in Mansfield, one Saturday in Put-In-Bay up on Lake Erie, and the final one the night of the Fourth here in Delaware. Late Sunday afternoon, in the midst of the hoopla, Sam arrives home for a summer stay. I have not seen him since I said goodbye in Montana last August and I am eager to see my boy once again.

Not all fireworks burst over our heads in the night sky. Some explode right in our hearts.

6 comments:

Jenny Woolf said...

This sounds idyllic, April, just what small town life ought to be.

Anonymous said...

April--personally, I often hope that hereafter is like mornings in June.

Are any of these concerts out of doors?

My daughter from Montana is in town this weekend...and your post captures how I will fell when she departs.

April said...

The two by our local Symphony (Saturday and Monday) are out of doors. The one Saturday is on an island in Lake Erie; the one Monday is on the grounds of Ohio Wesleyan here in Delaware. About 6000-7000 people will attend it.

Darla said...

What a wonderful post to end the month of June. I can feel your smile as you anticipate welcoming your son home.

Darla

Stacey Kay said...

I've noticed all the fireflies too! It must be a good year for them - I think insect populations rise and fall in cycles.

We always go on a bike ride at night to enjoy this wonderful weather. Its been a little rainy - but it never lingers. I live in Kent, OH.

xoxo
Stacey Kay
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Sharon said...

LOVE to hear your June notes! Funny, my son and I were taking a walk and he wante to know how to draw a hopscotch game...he forgot...how sad! Have a fabulous time with Sam! I'm so glad you get to see him!!!! :)!