where does the time go?

Another month and not too many posts to show for it. I can't believe how fast time flies. Still, we're in my favorite time of year - the end of the summer and beginning of autumn. The temperature is a pleasant 80 degrees, and drops gently as the sun sets so sitting in the backyard after dinner reading is a great pleasure. The crickets still hum and the birds chirp as they settle in for the night.
I was reading in the yard just last night and when twilight settled in and there was not enough light to red by I sat and watch the garden. The sky turned from a beautiful blue to pale violet and then deeper purple as the sunlight faded. The colors seemed to glow from within: the red roses like burning coals, the yellow day lilies like little magic lanterns, and the black eyed susans like shooting stars frozen in mid flight.
The crickets and cicadas were discussing who knows what in the trees and grass - a pleasant hum and rhythmic buzz. A few birds winged through the yard rushing home but they didn't offer as much as a single note in passing. The frogs and fish in the pond splashed occasionally but were silent otherwise. A dog barked somewhere in the neighborhood. A squirrel scolded me from the fence but gave up when I didn't argue back.
The light faded completely and I picked up my book and said goodnight to the wide world of my garden.

tail of the dog days of summer

Summer is winding down. The days are shortening just enough to notice and the temperature is not so hot every day. The garden is exhausted: the hydrangeas cannot hold their heads up, the day lilies do not explode by the dozen daily, and the roses are resting for their last hurrah before they retire for the fall. The farmer's market is full of vegetables. They seem to run riot at summer's end in contrast to their beautifully attired cousins.
Strange how the season's slow and graceful exit from the stage is so opposite from our emotions at this time of year. School is starting at month's end and the kids are a mixture of excitement and fear. We are gearing up for the change too: the sudden imposition of regiment, the struggle of early morning rising, the tears of late night homework, the exhaustion of young minds working out the mysteries of the universe. There's still time yet to sit for a moment on the porch for morning coffee or a glass of wine as the sun goes down. Time to walk the dogs after dinner in the warmth and stillness of the evening. Time to pause just for a moment and enjoy the shimmering heat of the dog days of summer.