Summer Morning

 

 

As I sit out on my porch this late August morning holding my cup of hot coffee close to my mouth, I watch and listen to the morning and nature unfolding all around me.

I live out in the country, so for the most part, there are only country sounds.

Sounds such as the crickets beginning to wrap up their chirping serenade from the night before, and, the birds singing boisterously, while searching for their breakfast.

The Hummingbirds are fighting not only each other, but also the bees, for the sugary water at my feeders, while the squirrels battle over something in the woods.

In the distance there are the sounds of trucks and cars moving along the highway on the way to their destinations.

I look over at my flowers in all of the different pots that line my decks and notice that they have passed their prime, now looking wilted and tired.

It’s been a long, hot, dry summer this year, so there are no deer coming out of the woods to graze at my property edge as I would normally expect to see right now. I miss seeing them. Almost every year since I have lived here, I could count on seeing the deer all year long for various reasons.

In the winter, pawing at the snow to get to some precious grass underneath, possibly sustaining them for yet another day. In the late summer, if the stream in the woods was dry, they would come to my ponds edge to get a needed drink, and, in the early summer, they would do me the honors of bringing their fawns out to show them off to me. In the autumn, they played it smart and kept low and out of sight somehow knowing that it was hunting season.

 

The neighbor’s dog is barking, probably at the birds, and my cat is perched on the edge of the deck, overlooking my property for any little creature that might interest her in an actual game of cat and mouse.

It’s all very serene and very natural.

The sun is beginning to rise higher in the sky, shining down on the dewy grass making it sparkle like a million tiny beautiful diamonds.

It’s going to be another hot day.

I grab my coffee mug and some day-old bread and I walk out to my pond to feed the fish and the 2 cute paint turtles that have taken up residence here this year, most likely due to the stream in the woods being dried up. As I break the bread into pieces and begin to throw it into the pond, all of the fish and turtles gather and eat with voracious appetites. It’s fun to watch all of them, sometimes banging into each other, to get to the food.

I love summer, and I would normally say that summer is my favorite season, but this one has lasted for about 5 months now, and I find that I am looking forward to fall and all that the autumn season has to offer here in the Midwest more than I have ever looked forward to fall before.

Seeing the beauty of the trees changing colors, the autumn smells, and freshly picked apples that snap with a delicious crispness when you bite into them, are just some of the things that are uniquely beautiful to autumn.  The fall foods and festivals, throwing on a hoodie and comfy jeans, and just sitting out in the crisp evenings around a fire. Aaahhh, I can’t wait!

Yes, I love all of what autumn is about, but I do still love all that summer has to offer, and even though this one has lasted for a very long time, I will continue to embrace all that it has to offer while it’s still here. Things that no other season can offer, such as being able to sit out on my porch with my coffee and being part of nature starting another new day.