Monday, August 15, 2011

Anniversary, 'Maters, Odds and Ends


This week Jerold and I are celebrating our 38th wedding anniversary.  We've had a happy life together since we walked down the aisle at Riverside Baptist Church on a hot August night in 1973.  Always best friends and partners, we'd love to be together for 40 or 50 more. To quote Kenny Rogers, “As long as it's ok, I'll stay with you...through the years.”

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We have 'maters—lots of them. Earlier this summer, it didn't seem like they were going to do well. It was too wet to plant, so we got them out late. They didn't grow quickly. They took their own sweet time coming in. The deer and rabbits have been snacking on them. Now after a few weeks of offering up two or three per plant, they all decided to ripen at once. So today I'm making salsa and a big mess in my kitchen.

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After the past six weeks of hot ninety and one hundred degree highs, we have a few days of blissfully cooler temperatures and lower humidity. On Sunday, I took my book to the screened porch and enjoyed a nice breeze while the laundry dried on the clothesline and Rowdy dog snored in the corner. 
 
Zinnas are happy flowers, don't you think? All they need is sunshine, water, and a little weeding. I wish I'd planted an acre of them!
 
What a peaceful August evening at dusk: a full moon is rising behind the trees, stars begin to twinkle in a clear navy blue sky, bats swoop down to catch mosquitoes, crickets are chirping, and cool air is flowing through the screen door. To me, this is simply life at its best.




You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
--Max Ehrmann

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