It seems most everyone is on vacation now. If they’re not, they should be, it’s too hot to do anything. The kid who mows our lawn went on vacation last week while we were staying on the lake. He got his friend to mow our yard for us. As we’ve been getting some storms and rain, the grass was looking pretty healthy when I stopped by on Saturday to check on things. I was wondering why it hadn’t been mowed, when P., the replacement mower knocked on the door. He was supposed to mow on Thursday, and he was all apologetic about not getting it done. He intended to mow our yard on Thursday, except that he got our house mixed up with our neighbors. As our neighbors were also on vacation, he mowed their yard and didn’t discover the mistake until his mom asked him just what he was doing when he supposedly was mowing our yard. Our neighbors got a free lawn mowing and, as he mowed it Saturday, the grass was freshly cut when we came back home.
Being at the lake was wonderful. Sleeping with the windows open and without the AC, I listened to the sounds of the water lapping on shore and the drone of a boat out fishing at night or in the pre-dawn hours as well as enjoy an early morning breeze. I didn’t fish a lot, but was often out in the canoe at sunrise as much as to watch the change of colors as to taunt the fish. The same was true for sunsets. Toward the end of the week, the crescent sliver of the new moon could be seen above the western horizon. During these times I always caught a few fish, most on a fly rod, but occasionally with a spinner. There were plenty of bluegills, but I landed one nice smallmouth bass on a fly rod and a couple northern pike that took spinners.
Sweet corn is now plentiful; you can buy it at a dozen roadside stands (most of whom you just leave the money for the amount of corn you take, on the honor system). Local grown tomatoes won’t be far off. It’s hotter and more humid than it should be; this combination that has created some nice thunderstorms. I like to be out in the breeze right before the storms strikes. I’ve always been more fascinated than afraid of storms; enjoying the wind and feeling like I’m in communion with God when the breeze rises and cools off the land. Somewhere I heard that the Hebrew word for Spirit also means wind and that feels right.
I never could understand why the world, at least in this country, took vacation during the hottest part of the year. I like to hunker down this time of the year and do my roaming in the cooler fall and spring months.
ReplyDeleteI guess one of the advantages of living further south, we've been eating sweetcorn for a month now and I've already canned my first batch of tomato sauce for my winter spaghetti feeds.
I'm like you. Being outside and feeling a cool clensing breeze is exactly like communion with God. It reminds me of his promise to mankind after the floods.
I think my blood pressure lowered just reading about your vacation. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThe heat finally moved away from us (and more toward the east), thank goodness. We have our afternoon monsoons, everything is turning green, and the air smells sweet.
ReplyDeletethis is why monsoon season is my favorite time of the year.
I love that wind before a storm too, Sage. And when I was a kid, and there was not thunder or lightning, my mom let me go out in a storm and run through the puddles barefoot.
ReplyDeleteI wish I was on vacation too! :)
ReplyDeleteThe idea of roadside stands selling sweetcorn is lovely. Here in the UK, the only things that tend to get sold like that are potatoes (Farmers will leave them in a shed and you leave the money), eggs and plants.
Ed, you know, take all your vacation before summer now, for when your kids start school, you'll be stuck (however, I'll be out in Utah hiking in late Sept)
ReplyDeleteMurf, are you a Weather Channel devotee?
Kevin, Thanks, that's a nice compliment.
Dawn, Thanks (not) for sending us the heat! lol
Kenju, I still love walking in puddles barefoot, never out grew it
Nikki, I wish someone had local eggs like that here!
What a lovely post and what a wonderful vacation you had :)
ReplyDeletemail-order...I agree, much easier. Sounds like a plan for next year.
ReplyDeleteOff to check out all I've missed around here. :)
Great association! I love storms. We haven't had much rain lately, maybe an hour this entire month. It seems to rain all around, but just not here.
ReplyDeleteI feel really bad for the kid who mowed your grass, but it's pretty good for the neigbor's!
What a beautiful thing to say...the breeze and God. I think I feel that way too. Maybe I just now realized it!
ReplyDeleteI am ready for a vacation myself. Well another vacation. The fishing one was more work than relaxation.
Your time at the lake sounds so idyllic. There's just something about being so close to nature as you described it. Blessings.
ReplyDeleteJewaire, thanks for the comments. The lake trip wasn't vacation for me as I worked tha week.
ReplyDeleteKontan, the way I see it, the kid will have a great story to tell when he's about 30!
Deana, I saw your pics, you can't tell me that trout fishing in the big waters of Montana was work!
Thanks Tim
Murf, turn down the volume and turn on the radio, lol
Murf, I'll have to pay more attention to the music the next time--but I now wonder what right you have to complain about some of my musical taste
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