[8/15/08 Edited to Add: I borked-up my blog and accidentally disappeared ALL comments – sorry, if I lost yours – because, I am A DORK!]
Having lived in New Jersey my whole life, I always imagined summer as a gift and one that should be unwrapped very, very, slowly.
Then, I grew up.
In my column over at the Imperfect Parent (I know, publishers Prescott and Jessica are being VERY generous) I talk a little about how our summers have taken on a kaleidoscopic effect that, more often than not, tends to leave me and the kids feeling a little, you know, dizzy.
Busy one minute, colorless the next and then there are those moments
– you know, the kid-friendly kind of spontaneous we parents have
learned to expect – that slowly begin to unfold and reveal their
beauty, which simply leave me wordless.
Yesterday, after spending waaaaaay too much time cleaning out the garage, I grabbed the camera and asked my youngest daughter (she’s 7) to join me for a little private time (because, it WAS her turn) as we both welcomed the Dog Days of Summer through a child’s eyes – in shades of yellow and orange.
Mini-me and I harvested our first bouquet of sunflowers, yesterday – they ARE our absolute favorites – and she proudly placed them in the middle of our table and they really do brighten up the dining room, nicely!
We usually buy a big bag of sunflower seeds for our bird feeders – the cardinals love them – and experimented with throwing handfuls along our neighbor’s fence (shhh, don’t tell her) rather than paying a lot more and getting less with a seed packet, to see if they would take. As you can see, it worked and they’re growing almost as fast as Mini-me is.
Many of my Hungarian relatives make their own wine and I remember spending summers dancing in and out of the gnarly vines and stuffing my mouth full with their shiny black fruit. This year, my husband Garth (not his real name) is trying his hand at growing Concord Grapes. Not the best for wine-making, I admit, but they make for some awesome snacking, while the sunflowers keep company and perhaps whisper a few words of encouragement, as well.
They are both growing directly behind the strawberry patch and neighboring pickling cucumber vines, while a family of purple finches keep close watch and have taken up residence in the birdhouse we picked up during our summer vacation on Cape May last summer, shaped like a pair of flip-flops, of course!
We planted lemon yellow Marigolds around the beds, after reading that rabbits don’t like how they smell, or taste.
Well, they don’t…do…I mean…nature sometimes doesn’t care what gardening books say. How-ehhhh-verrrr, it seems that the annoying little furry buggers do prefer them over the gold variety, that we were going to plant, in the first place.
Stupid rabbits.
Although, there’s plenty of Black-eyed-Susans to go around…no, really…we’ve got tons, they transplant very easily and you want some?
Unlike roses, which are very, very picky and totally high maintenance, if you ask me – which, as most people already know, I am SO not and neither should you, damnit – except, for this hearty little thing.
It’s called Julia Child, go figure!
Then, there are the Jersey tomatoes Mini-me and I planted in June and they are FINALLY turning red – it was a very wet and chilly spring!
This year, we also tried a new variety of cherry tomatoes called, "Sun Gold."
"So, how do they taste?"
Mini-me bit down and smiled as it popped in her mouth.
"Just like summertime!"
Aaaaand, you know what?
[pop]
Yeah, it really does!
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