The Summer of September

I've been kidding all my friends about the 5 days of summer that we have had this year. It was very cold, cloudy with little rain most of the summer. My tomato plants let me know what they thought of the weather by simply not growing. It was as if someone had sprayed them with a growth regulator, they never got more than 10 inches high and only one produced a fruit about an inch across. The whole midwest suffered unusual weather and at least we didn't get the floods that many areas were faced with but, something happened last week and we have had the most glorious weather of the year for 6 days now and this may continue into next week. This is Labor Day Weekend, the emotional end of summer and yet here is the warmth of the sun drawing you out, begging you to lay down in the grass and watch the clouds go by. Honestly, it's been perfect. I don't care much for excessive heat so the 72-76 F temps during the day are just right for me. At night it drops down into the 50-60's which means excellent sleeping weather with the windows wide open and a good fuzzy blanket pulled up around your shoulders. And if that isn't perfection enough for you, there was a full moon a few nights ago, which made it as clear as daylight outside with the way it shone down upon us... It was huge. Last night it came up pink and round over the farms of Luxemberg where we were attending a party. We gals all walked out on the deck and marveled as it rose above the trees, I'll bet it was even more fantastic rising over Lake Michigan. Then the frosting on the cake, Fog! I love fog, the thicker the better. I watched it form tonight as the moon rose, thin little layers floating across the back meadow, moving slowly in the night air, not much wind this past week either. The Fog will build most of the night, it will sit above the roads and you will drive in and out of it, the Fog will whirl around the other cars that pass you by, but by morning it will be solid and I won't be able to see the Bay until the sun rises and burns it off, with a little help from a morning breeze, isn't that beautiful?



I can't believe how wonderful these past few days have been. Tonight we walked down to the bridge to fish and we stayed long past the last nibble. The sun set with a hot pink flourish that spilled across the water, broken only by shadows of the boats moored in the bay. We rocked gently from the wake of boats racing back into harbor to beat the oncoming night. Even the dog understood this serenity and she never moved, she just laid there and rocked with us. There was a reticence between us, almost like a love affair about to end, neither of us wanted to say, "good-bye"and ruin the moment, but the chill in the night air told us we must go.



I don't know if I can capture these feelings again over the next few days and perhaps that isn't the way it should be. I only know that I feel that way now and I'm grateful for this wonderful peace that envelops me at the moment....I wish you moments like this....its all good.