Long Tailed Caps And The Entrance Of Fall

So far this week, I have yawned more times than my entire life combined.  I sleep fairly well but by the end of the work day, I feel compelled to crawl in my bed and start my good nights sleep.

We have noticed the lingering darkness that is now the morning trip to work and school.  No longer does the sun pierce our eyes as we start our day.  The darkness is just beginning to fade these days as we head out and the evening finds the sun setting a little earlier.  The mornings now have a cooler feel to them.

I've recognized that the body, at least MY human body, loves the onset of the winter months.  The notion of longer nights and shorter days fit right in with my idea of long slumbering nights. I do believe I could easily wear one of those long tailed nightcaps so often featured in written and pictured lore of long ago.

After what seemed like an endless summer of high temperatures and no rain, coupled with a horrendous fire that destroyed so much of our town, the mere idea of cooler weather and shorter days is just simply delightful.  Perhaps it is just the change we all need.  Putting this long miserable summer behind us will help in so many ways.  Before long the holidays will be upon us and there will be much to look forward to.  But with this change, I wonder, is it possible that there are people who hibernate better than others?

Normal summers, summers with rain and yard work welcome those long days.  There is a need for time.  This summer was just one very long hot day or so it seemed.  I preferred the dark during the summer, at least that way I couldn't see how dry and dead everything looked.

As I recall, the official time change will occur in November, apparently a full month and a half after my body has recognized the need for it.  Already, I'm feeling the slow down and the anticipation of the night that comes early every day.  I welcome the cold nights that are to come.  It will be a great relief from the months and months of excessive heat.

This day is winding down and it has tired me or the seasons changing has tired me.  It is not even 9pm and I am ready to curl up in my bed and bid this day adieu.  So as to my earlier question about the adaptability of humans to hibernate, I may well be the poster child for hibernation.  It is innate and uncontrollable.  It is part of who I am and I'm sure stamped within a part of my DNA are the words PROLONGED SLEEP.  Of course they most certainly appear as little tiny letters.

Where does one find a long tailed nightcap?

The Summer of Sunflowers

The first weekend of summer vacation was when the children and I planted the sunflower seeds. That would have been about June 13th, 2011.   I let each child drop the seeds into the holes and together we planned the sunflower bed.  We had only attempted the growing of sunflowers once before but years had passed since then.

In early summer, the temperatures were warm and getting warmer.  Rain had been scare all spring.  But as with any determined gardener, we leaned upon our optimism and forge ahead.  Early summer always brings promise.  The promise of rains and growth and bounty.

The children were excited to see the sunflower seeds sprout and week after week, they grew.  My Son marveled at how the plants were almost as tall as he was.  I told him they would be much taller than him and that in the last stages of their lives, they would present us with a prize.  Beautiful sunflowers.

We had no idea that the summer of the sunflowers would be record heat and record drought. As the temperatures increased, we increased the watering.  We watched as the plants grew taller.  A few toppled and were removed but the majority were strong and thriving.  They crowded the small corner of the garden and every day, I imagined those beautiful sunflowers.  In my mind I saw their bright yellow blooms on beds of green leaves.

Summer came and went.  Days of heat and watering.  It was a ritual and a duty My Son and I held with conviction.  As the days wore on, we grew tired of the constant watering yet we did not relent.  School started again and the watering continued.  We began to see the tops of the plants change.  I knew it would not be long before I would see the first sunflower emerge.  Perhaps only days and then the long awaited reward for diligence and care.

Battled and worn from the elements, the plants continued to grow and we continued to water.  The temperatures this week have been near 110 degrees. I thought for sure the heat would take the plants, yet they continued their life cycle.  They continued to grow and reach for the sun.  What was too hot for us was ample for them.

Today, the first sunflower is near completion.  It's petals opening a few at a time each day.  Jamie took the following pictures and I'm so glad she did as thanks to her, I will always remember this summer and those sunflowers. I will remember the hard work, the dedication, the determination and the will of the plant to overcome extreme obstacles.

And it all started with a single seed on a bright sunny day in mid June. It started with children planting dreams. Patience and love can make beautiful things happen.

Notice the ant middle left.

And this is why you never give up!  Not on a single seed, not even in a drought, not even when its too hot to be outside.  If the sunflower can survive, so can we.  And in the end, we will have wonderful memories of yellow and green and a summer that challenged us but ultimately rewarded us with stunning beauty.

One More Milestone

I guess I never realized how many milestones there are to a calendar year.  We think about the obvious holidays, birthdays and anniversaries.  But there are so many more during the course of the year.  Some we share, some are unique to our families and some are personal. 

Today was spent getting things ready for the next milestone.  This milestone hits most parents, most children, my family and me.  My day was filled with lists.  Tasks to be completed before the milestone which is scheduled for 7am tomorrow morning at our house.  The milestone is the end of summer.

Now Mother Nature doesn't know that summer is ending in 10 hours.  Oh no, she has dialed up some very hot temperatures for the week.  The burner is on high and the kettle is boiling. But that doesn't matter, the milestone is coming and it cares little for the antics of Mother Earth. 

How quickly the summer passed.  It sits like a road mile marker in our rear view mirrors.  Getting smaller with each passing  hour, each passing day.  School starts tomorrow and we will pass, in one giant chaotic leap, over the milestone and then in a day or two, summer will be gone from view. 

I gave it alot of thought today about this milestone.  The children advance a grade, the calendar year changes and we enter the 2011-12 school year.  My Son will be entering the sixth grade, my granddaughter the 2nd.
How quickly time is flying.  It flutters its wings and refuses to be contained.  Nothing can stop it and we must simple let it go and see where it takes us.  We truly are along for the ride, so hang on!

For those of you marking this milestone tomorrow, I wish you well.  I hope the children can find their socks and you remember where you put your keys.  May there be no separation tears and may the end of the day be filled with wonderful excitement and approval for a first day gone well.

Sleep well everyone.  The milestone cometh.

Alice Tilts The Mirror

Ever have one of those weird days?  I guess we all do.  Today was my turn.  It started slow and  normal and then took off  and fell into rabbit holes of things to do and deadlines to meet.  Now here it is almost 11pm and I'm sitting here typing instead of sleeping.

Today I saw the best in people and I saw joy and surprise.  I saw temperatures outside that were so hot that it was like walking around in an oven.  Today I cooked our dinner in a crock pot so as to not overheat the kitchen.  Today I saw beautiful flowers delivered along with some pink balloons.  Today was a protein shake for breakfast kind of day. 

Today was just one of those day where you want to find a quiet moment and make it last as long as you can.  I finally ended up picking up my old crochet hook, grabbing some yarn and started chaining.   I let my thoughts go to winter and the cold that is sure to come.  I guess we do those kinds of things when its so hot and dry and summer seems to be endless.  We think about the opposites.  I remember doing the same thing last winter when I was so tired of being cold.

So today will come to an end and tomorrow we will see what Alice throws at us from the Looking Glass.  Hopefully she will be in a kind and gentle mood.

God Is In The Rain

In the year of an exceptional drought, life is different. Sure we go through our days, meeting deadlines, taking care of responsibilities and preparing for the next but in a drought, life is different.

During my summer break from work, which happened to coincide with this exceptional drought, I have seen a different summer. Beyond the obvious dry grass and dying landscape that is Central Texas, there is a constant thirst. I have grown used to dirt that has become powder and mornings that consist of watering everything from gardens to trees. In a drought there is a preoccupation with water. And there is that constant thirst.

As temperatures rise to the century mark and above each day, the air becomes less comfortable to breathe. People and pets move a little slower if at all. Summer becomes the enemy and the night our savior.

I have driven past corn fields where the crops have baked in the summer sun. Corn plants that should be tall and lush and green have dried and died in the hot Texas soil. I have seen fields plowed under early as hope of a yield was abandoned. A drought touches everything and everyone. It is a game changer.

Every morning I fill the bird bath which has become like the watering hole in an African desert. I have seen every living creature in and near my yard come for a drink. Lizards, wasps, squirrels, cats, birds, opossums and raccoons. Every living thing, plant and animal alike has an exceptional thirst this year.

But every now and then, as it did yesterday, the rain will fall. Sometimes its only for a moment, sometimes just a little longer. In the year of an exceptional drought, seeing rain is magical. It is a "get out and let it hit you" moment. It is a "be a child again" moment. It is a "see it for the first time" moment. It is summed up in a single word, glorious.

Some years are just like that. Some years are just a drought. Some years everything is just more difficult and there is that thirst for what used to be. What we need to remember is that all droughts eventually end. When the rains return and that life giving moisture is absorbed, life will find it's normal rhythm again.

While droughts are remembered with disdain and a physical shudder, their mere existence makes the promise of rain, the smell of rain, the taste of rain all the more sweet.