Fall can wait

I have heard some people say that fall is on the way. I have seen those big yellow buses full of the latest fads, back packs, Ipods and embarrassing hairstyles. I have seen the slight slant in the sunlight and the moon creeping in a little earlier each day. Sure, I have seen it all and I stand firmly in DENIAL. I refuse to accept the inevitable, the obvious. I will not begin bringing in the lawn furniture or put away the oscillating fan. Oh, I may not use the fan but it’s going to be right there if I need too. No dust is going to gather on those shiny blades, baby. I also refuse to pull out my sweaters and comforters for that fall cleaning. And I will not relinquish my sandals for fuzzy lined boots one minute before my toes are actually falling off my feet in little ice pellets.

We should have about another month and a half of very nice weather here in the Northwest and I plan to use every single second of it to its fullest. I am going to have my coffee out by the pond every morning where the sun will warm my skin till I am good and ready to leave. I will take naps in the hammock, falling asleep while looking up at deep blue skies. I will deadhead my flowers and firmly believe that they will bloom again and again. I am going to smell the mint and the rosemary letting their scents linger deep in my mind. The lavender will be brushed needlessly and regularly simply because it smells good. And the pineapple sage I will stroke like a new kitten because it smells good too.


I will thank every flower that bloomed in my garden this summer and remember how sweet the honeysuckle was as it scented the air by my front door. Bask in the way the roses glowed as they opened slowly to reveal their tender beauty. There will be smiles for the nasturtium and the poppies that exploded with color, for the delphiniums that graced the air with dramatic spires of blue and for the azure swath of cupids dart. Delight in the birds that filled the garden with their song and playful flight. Express gratitude for the frogs that serenaded us in the spring and kept the mosquitoes at bay all summer long.



There are so many things that make up summer each year. The trip to the beach, the way the lilies smelled in the evening or the way your hand felt in mine with the grass beneath my bare feet. There are weekend projects, trips to take and people to visit. Plus plenty of barbecues and pool parties to throw and attend. It seems that in summer everything is trying to get out there and live as much as it possibly can in the precious little time that it has. I guess we’re all like butterflies in this way. We only have right now so we had better make it good.
Let fall bring its delights and I will welcome it with open arms, but for right now, it’s still summer and I for one plan to leave nothing on the table. There is a hammock calling me.