New London, Connecticut
The wood is decked in light green leaf.
The swallow twitters in delight.
The lonely vine sheds joyous tears
Of interwoven dew and light.
Spring weaves a gown of green to clad
The mountain height and wide-spread field.
O when wilt thou, my native land,
In all thy glory stand revealed?
~ Ilia Chavchavadze
(Anthology of Georgian Poetry)
“Summer is coming!” the soft breezes whisper;
“Summer is coming!” the glad birdies sing.
Summer is coming — I hear her quick footsteps;
Take your last look at the beautiful Spring.
~ Dora Read Goodale
(Summer Is Coming)
To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring.
~ George Santayana
(Words of Wisdom & Quotable Quotes)
How many Flowers fail in Wood —
Or perish from the Hill —
Without the privilege to know
That they are Beautiful —
How many cast a nameless Pod
Opon the nearest Breeze —
Unconscious of the Scarlet Freight —
It bear to other eyes —
~ Emily Dickinson
(The Poems of Emily Dickinson, #534)
Honor the space between no longer and not yet.
~ Nancy Levin
(Grief Interrupted: A Holistic Guide to Reclaiming Your Joy)
to watch outdoor theater in the summer
Enjoyed this stroll through the Arboretum, Barbara, welcoming the growth and new life. Wonderful plants, quotes, and poetry. I am unfamiliar with hemlock, living on the west coast, and fringe trees — beautiful.
Thank you, Jet. The house where I grew up was surrounded by eastern hemlocks (and other woods) but the woolly adelgid pest has killed off most of them, much to my dismay. Not sure if I’ve ever noticed a lovely fringe tree in these parts before.
Great reminders of that lovely walk! Only two things missing, the sweet fragrance of the fringe bushes and the minor but constant presence of the little gnats.
Wouldn’t it be lovely to be able to share fragrances in blogs? Next time at least one of us must remember the bug repellent!
A totally different season from your Fall post – I like how you pair up the photos with the verse Barbara … it is enjoyable to read and I think “how I wish we were in June again, instead of headed toward Winter.” The dainty dragonfly on the boulder pausing to sunbathe makes me wistful for all the days that it was so hot and humid and I complained about them.
June is a wondeful month — so many flowers blooming yet the heat and humidity and thickets of bugs so prevalent in July and August haven’t arrived yet. Bliss! Our seasonal differences in North America are so striking. And each one, in my mind, has its own appeal, although I have to say, summer is the hardest one for me to appreciate. 🙂
I agree – I am no fan of heat and humidity and I always tell myself when I grumble about it, that you’ll grumble when January and February arrive because it’s too cold. I don’t mind suiting up for Winter; it is the snow and ice I don’t like. The beauty is fading fast here – winds are blowing hard out there now and we’ve had many bouts of rain this week. The leaves are hanging on for dear life. 🙂
We finally got some rain here, but we really needed it. I love bundling up in winter but only as long as I can stay home and don’t have to drive in the snow or ice. Nothing like snuggling under a blanket on the couch with a cup of tea and book, watching snow flurries outside. 🙂 I hope you get to see a few more leaves before the last of them let go.
In the Winter, there is nothing like being on the inside looking out. I got a high efficiency furnace in 2012 so now I worry if it is a blizzard of some kind that the snow will fly sideways or mound up by the furnace pipe and cause a carbon dioxide issue … a few times I have had to get dressed and go outside and check the pipe again. I do like cocooning in Winter and I hope I get a few books read this Winter. If I snuggle under a blanket and get too comfy, I usually nod off. 🙂 We have a beautiful Saturday in store – Sunday is very windy (30 mph winds), cold (30) and light snow predicted but it won’t last. I will make the most of my tomorrow.
Enjoy your Saturday today! 🙂 Do you have a carbon dioxide detector inside? I’d probably be checking my furnace pipe, too, even if I did have a detector. (We have electric heat.) I’m hoping to get some full blue moon pictures this evening. So far we have clear skies…