Raspberries are ripening, pea pods bursting, lettuce threatening to bolt, and I’m going crazy.
Suddenly harvest time is here. The pea pods I planted in May are finally ripening – too fast. At first, I was worried they wouldn’t bloom at all, but the blossoms finally appeared and now, suddenly, they’re screaming, “pick me” as I walk past them on my daily walk with Mr. Magoo, the pug.
The raspberry patch is festively decorated with red berries. I try to figure out how I can get both berries and peas picked before it’s too late. If I don’t get to the raspberries, the birds will. I don’t mind sharing but fresh raspberries with cream and a sprinkle of sugar are too delicious to squander on blue jays.
The radishes I planted are popping up from the soil like small red balloons, and the lettuce is still a nice green but begging to be picked. And this is only my vegetable garden. I simply don’t know how I’ll ever find the time and energy to work in my perennial gardens, dividing day lilies, for example.
Don’t get me wrong. I love summer, harvest time and warm weather. Going barefoot is one of my favorite things. I’m enthralled by the many hummingbirds at my feeder. (Is it an unusually busy hummingbird summer?)
Another favorite summer activity is thunderstorm watching. The deck on my house has a large overhang making it easy for Dick and me to plop into a lounge chairs and watch storms approach.
They follow a pattern. The first sign is a darker smudge in the western sky, which turns into a bank of dark clouds as it moves closer. Soon distant thunder begins rumbling in the west. We’re not storm “chasers,” more like storm “sitters.” Mr. Magoo sleeps at my feet. He nestles on the fuzzy blanket I’ve provided. He doesn’t hear well any more so the thunder doesn’t bother him. His soft snores harmonize with the far-off thunder.
Eventually, the northern sky darkens, and a heavy black line of clouds slowly pushes towards us.
Dark clouds also move in from the west. The wind picks up, tree branches thrash around. Rain falls in sheets, lightning crackles, thunder booms.
Yes, I could use my time more efficiently and get chores taken care of instead of storm-watching, but….
We watch until rain sheets force us inside.
Leave a Reply