Encountering Earth

There are many "rites" of summer! One of these is picking strawberries and enjoying all the tasty ways to enjoy them - shortcake, over ice cream, just cut and sugared, and right out of the field! I must say that this excitement about picking anything doesn't catch me right away. As an ol' farmer, any kind of picking is never about a few quarts for home use, but picking and packing for the market. So I need to reframe and get in the upbeat, I only need to fill this four-quart container mood! Off we went to a local orchard. I won't mention the name because we had to pay a $5 cover charge and $6.73 a quart, which seemed a bit much since we couldn't use our own quarts but had to pick in theirs. No way was the container 4 quarts! We gave the benefit of the doubt to the farmer, because it's hard making a go of it!  So then there's berry picking in times of Covid-19: don your mask and gloves and no eating in the field. I was hot and bothered, especially by ...

Wow, time flies! I can't believe I haven't written since the end of May! But here I am in summer, not my favorite season for sure. The Spring wildflowers are bloomed and setting seeds. The summer flowers - hawkweed, phlox, honest, joe-pye weed, asters, and milkweed are not out yet. The birds are a challenge to find in trees that are full-leafed. So where to pay attention? The other day I was lying in the hammock on our back porch. The sky was deep blue. I was watching the wind rustle the leaves. I felt like I was in a treehouse! The crows and starlings were making a racket!  Squirrels ran up and down our neighbor's maple and across the garage roof. I reflected on my favorite summer past time - sitting (or lying) in the shade and enjoying the being of summer. No need to do anything unless it's reading a good book and nibbling on snacks. I love to take in the sights and sounds, enjoy a breeze, feel the sunshine on my skin. Be. Yes, summer does have some lovely moments! ...