Lammas August 1, 2008

The air is still and steamy. An occasional bird call rises above the constant drone of cicadas and for a few moments a Blue Jay’s recitative accompanies the insect continuo. One dispirited croak drifts up from the murky pond. In contrast to the stillness, hummingbirds chase each other frantically around the feeders. Darting and diving through the branches of the Princess tree, alighting momentarily and then flying off.

I survey the detritus of the previous night’s celebration. Empty wine bottles, glasses drained of even the dregs, bread crumbs and hardened candle wax on the tablecloths and carpets are testimony to our enjoyment of Earth’s bounty at the first harvest.

At dawn, while we lay sleeping off the effects of our revelry, Nature held her own tumultuous going away party for Summer. Thunder shook the heavens and Zeus sent bright bolts to light the festivities. Dancing trees waved their branches ecstatically in the wind and rain poured from the sky providing welcomed refreshment for the earth.

Now the bright sun and blue skies of late morning reveal no evidence of Nature’s wild abandon nor does it seem that Summer is passing into Fall. The heat of Summer persists, lulling us into believing it will never end. The days grow shorter almost imperceptibly, the verdant countryside looses its bloom and we begin to accept the inevitable turn of the wheel.