Fields of flowers wherever I look

Summer is short in New England, so making time to write seems a luxury. This is the time of year where I get seduce by sunrises and sunsets. Wildflowers on the side of the road are a constant threat to anyone driving behind me. I have been known to abruptly stop the car and jump out to gather a handful of color and scent. Memories of  lavender days and jasmine nights will keep me warm in the winter months ahead.

Summer breeze, makes me feel fine
Blowing through the jasmine in my mind
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine
Blowing through the jasmine in my mind

See the paper layin' on the sidewalk
A little music from the house next door
So I walked on up to the doorstep
Through the screen and across the floor

Summer breeze, makes me feel fine
Blowing through the jasmine in my mind
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine
Blowing through the jasmine in my mind

Sweet days of summer, the jasmine's in bloom
July is dressed up and playing her tune
And I come home from a hard day's work
And you're waiting there, not a care in the world

See the smile awaitin' in the kitchen
Food cookin' in the plates for two
Feel the arms that reach out to hold me
In the evening when the day is through

Summer breeze, makes me feel fine
Blowing through the jasmine in my mind
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine
Blowing through the jasmine in my mind

Summer Soul

Tomorrow, June 16, the Summer Solstice arrives. For those on the East coast the magic hour is 6:34 pm. This is what happens; the North Pole at its maximum tilts toward the sun. The sun reaches its highest point in the sky all year. What this means to us is ..LIGHT glorious light. Especially to those of us on the East Coast who hoard daytime during the few hours of winter light in the dead of winter. Even if you attended a solstice gathering this weekend, don’t let the actual solstice pass without an acknowledgement of the longest day of the year. People celebrate the Solstice for many reasons; religious, culture, or just because it feels so good. It you are in the feel good category, my ideas at the end are for you.  Just as an FYI the solstice is known as Midsummer. Midsummer, you wonder? Well, there is an explanation for that term. 'Midsummer' refers to the middle of the period between the equinoxes when the sun is at its highest, not the middle of the season we commonly regard as summer that takes place during the second half of the "light half" of the year.  No matter what you chose to do or not do, around this planet the solstice is celebrated with joy and celebration. The past few days have included feasts, bonfires, dancing, circles, and in some cases, naked sprints across town.

So what to do if you are home alone on Monday without herbs, oils, a smudge stick and a group of people who want to hang out? Grab yourself and keep it simple. Gather a candle, some paper, powered sage and sit under the full Strawberry Moon. Light the candle, sprinkle it with sage. Tear your paper in half, write down what you want to release, burn that list. Write down goal and aspirations, keep that list. And if you are really feeling righteous, turn on some soulful summer tunes and take a nap under the stars.

This Old House

The farmhouse first caught my eye because of the sun that day. It was high in the sky and a single ray seemed to pierce the center of the roof. From a distance, I could make out what I thought was a graveyard, a dilapidated greenhouse, and several weathered outbuildings. Although I couldn't bring myself to get too close, it seemed to pull me in. I was scared to find out more, yet scared to walk away. I walked the fields surrounding the farmhouse all last summer and every day I moved a little bit closer. Until one day, edging nearer, I saw that what appeared to be tombstones were really broken slates of a fence. The shadows I thought were curtains,were actually cracked window panes. In fact,the house itself seemed to be broken.

Summer doesn’t last long in New England and the house seemed to realize that the fall and winter ahead might be the end. After years of abandonment, the house threatened to collapse. Even without the weight of the season of snow. I thought for sure that when I returned to the fields this spring,winter would have claimed the farmhouse. Yet, spring is here once again,and so is my farmhouse. So I am back to walking through the wildflowers again. The farmhouse is still holding on, pulling me closer with every walk. One day I will get close enough… for it to tell me its story.

Tea Stained Tears

"During his dark days he would open the letter, reread it and inhale the roses. His tears would add to hers until the letter itself would disappear into a rose pool of love."

Electromagnetic field

We talked quietly under a corridor of crackling

high tension lines. Properly grounded in

respectable prose, we felt safe. Then one night 

he dropped a word on the floor. The current 

shook the ground. Unsure of what to do, we 

both reached down to pick it up. We touched. 

What followed is what happens when electricity 

finds a conduit. It soared through both of us, 

almost changing our molecular structure.

Every Day is an Epiphany

Yesterday afternoon was a typical late spring afternoon.  I cut up the last of the vegetables and sautéed them until they were translucent. I added them to my butternut squash soup, the basis for my “Healthy” chicken and dumplings. As I worked in the kitchen, my youngest daughter bounced my grandson up and down, all the while recounting her day at school.  In the background the magic violin of Damien Escobar filled the air, along with baby squeals, and an occasional dog bark. As the food cooked on the stove, I watered my herbs, heated a simmering pot of mint and dried lavender, and supplied both the dogs and the teen with water and snack. Finally, I scooped up the baby and inhaled his scent of bananas, milk, and pure sweetness. The first two ingredients came tumbling out of his mouth on to our  shirts. I laughed as I headed to the bedroom to change both of us.

Later as I walked the dogs around my favorite deserted farmhouse, I collapsed on a hill with them and watched the sunset.  In that moment, I was completely tired and completely happy. Feeling tired because I have loved people and pets all day, is something I aim for every day. The occasional ache when I hit the bed at night, is a reminder that I am very lucky to have people to love and moments that will indeed make me ache. Of course it is easier to give in to the fatigue and skip cooking the meal in the afternoon or push away the embrace at night. But  I would rather earn the deep fatigue that comes from living a wonderfully exhausting life