Midsummer Delights

In summer, the song sings itself…

MIDSUMMER

Oh y’all. I am in constant awe of nature’s bounty during these long daylight hours of midsummer. (**whispers**hours that I deny are already slipping away, as the solstice has come and gone. I’m devoutly, firmly staying present in the right now.) I’ve been soaking up every bit of this season, collecting the things that fill my senses.

(all photos mine)

One recent morn I was so delighted with the smell of newly tasseled corn filling the air, I laughed out loud and breathed deeply of the distinctive heavy sweetness over and over again. That bold scent only happens right as the tassels burst free, golden in the sunshine, and it doesn’t last long. I miss that smell already! Doesn’t that just sum up life—appreciating moments while at the same time missing other moments gone by and anticipating yet more moments to come?

Sights—deep rich green of the trees, the corn and soybean crops, colorful wildflowers, golden grasses, birds of all kinds… Don’t get me started on my birdwatching gig—so many new to me sightings this year!

Smells—hay fields drying in the sun, just sprouted corn tassels, the damp of cool shade amid the trees, newly picked sweet corn, fresh peaches…

Sounds—bird chatter—so much bird chatter and bird song—, the wind through those trees and crops, the hum of farm machinery here and there, the rattle of ice in my tea glass…

Tastes—sweet corn all buttery and delicious, ice cold tea, creamy sherbet from the local ice cream place…

Touches—the warmth of fresh picked produce kissed by the sun, the fuzz atop the wild grasses, the grass under bare feet…

For one devoted to the rhythms of nature and living amid the fields of the Midwest, Midsummer is a gloriously rich time.

A time when the crops in the fields grow tall and thick with deep green leaves that seem to literally grow in front of our eyes, especially amid a sweet summer rain. The gardens and produce stands fill with bright tomatoes, peppers, and melons of all kinds.

A time when the roadsides bloom with wild and magical growing things—tall willowy grasses that wave in the breeze, ranging from green to gold in the summer sun, the wildflowers in riotous colors from oh so tiny blooms on the ground to tall ones scattered amid the grasses. And the birds, oh the birds! (I made myself stop with two bird pics for now!)

One of my favorites of these roadside treasures is chicory. I’ve loved these flowers for years and every season I’m freshly enamored with them, surprised when I find them open wide and waving along the roadside where there had seemed to only be grasses that very morning, the sun’s warmth and light coaxing the folded buds to flutter open into perwinkle stars by midday.

Wherever you are, whatever you enjoy about the current season, I’d love to hear about it—do tell!