Giant panda at the National Zoo, DC, June 14, 2009

Tomatoes, corn, bamboo, whatever it is you like to eat, we’re finally getting close to that time of year when all growing things are ready for the kitchen. Except in New England, where there’s been nothing but rain this non-summer. Here it is, mid-July, and our corn is about as high as a tall mouse’s eye! (See below)

Surely the sun will return, however, and when it does, we have to hope everything will catch up. We've usually got some corn ready by now. The only good thing is, the lack of sunlight has lengthened the strawberry season.  

I know at least some of you are growing vegetables and maybe fruit this year. Maybe you have chickens or bees. One of you lives on a horse farm, right?

So I was thinking, maybe we should have our own 4-H fair! ! ! How cool is that!

Just send photos of your growing or grooming projects (flora or fauna). We’ll post them and award blue ribbons to the best, maybe even to all! You get to show off the fruits of your labor, so to speak, and we all get to ooh and ahh at what you’ve accomplished.

Email your photos to me at the usual address, or songbird@birdsonawireblog.com. Our fair will be held in August, so you have enough time to get your projects in good shape.

Cornfield in Greenfield MA, July 8, 2009

For years, I’ve tried to meditate, and failed.

I get distracted and lose my concentration. Background music doesn’t help, because I listen to it. The sounds of nature work the same way. But finally, after decades of trying , I’ve found the perfect meditation mechanism for me, and it’s swimming.

I do laps and laps and laps, all in easy strokes, like side stroke, back stroke, sometimes breast stroke. I’m in no hurry and have no set number of laps to do each time I go the pool. Our YMCA swimming pool is so small, it’s more like being in an aquarium than a people pool. I can see how a fish would get pretty neurotic running into walls all day! 

After a few laps, I lose track of time. Rhythmic breathing and soothing sounds of water put me in a meditative state, no matter what’s going in my life or in adjoining lanes at the pool. I'm out there! 

I love the feel of the water on my skin. I figure I’m getting a good cardiac workout, pulling a certain number of pounds against the water. The greatest benefit, of course, is that swimming doesn’t put much pressure on my poor arthritic hips, feet or hands. Some have Achilles’ heels; I have Achilles’ wrists. After my swim, I sit in the hot tub for a few minutes right over the jets, if possible. 

What do you do to reach your meditative state? 

Photos taken May 3, 2009, at California Academy of Sciences

It's in the 50s and raining today in New England. Made me think of this photo, taken April 28 at the entrance to the Whole Foods Market in Mill Valley, California.

We came to California to visit, but also take a brief vacation from the craziness of the past few months. Sometimes you just need to turn off the news, and forget about it for a little while. The recession, the flu, the war(s), the murder and mayhem will still be there when you sign back on. 

Mendocino County looked like a good bet for peace and quiet. We found plenty of it in a town of 400, about 20 miles east of the coast. Near the intersection of vineyards, redwood forest and cattle ranches, we discovered a cute little inn with guest cabins, each containing one bed, two chairs, a table and absolutely nothing else. Nothing like austerity to cleanse the soul.

There we were, curled up in our rustic cabin nestled under a down comforter when Dave’s phone went off. I didn't lie about the lack of cell service. It was weak at best, when you could get it.  

The caller was one of the tenants renting our condo back home. Dave could hardly make out what he was saying, between uncontrollable sobs. 

The night before, when he returned home, he found his wife of 50 years dead in a pool of blood. It was even worse than that. She had died in a particularly violent and ugly manner. The police believed it was a natural death, but they would wait for the ME’s report. 

Naturally, we swung into action and spent the rest of the day trying to help from afar. We  hired one of those crime scene clean-up companies and looked for other ways to assist the poor man. Mostly, we mourned the death of a delightful woman who was only a few years older than we were.

Last night, on House, the ghost of Autumn sang a particularly eerie version of “It’s later than you think.” At that, it all came together. The yin and yang of life. Just when you ‘re dazzled by the age and beauty of the world around you – as we were, in a redwood forest – death walks in to remind you of its omnipresence. Anytime, anywhere. Even when you’re on vacation.

You're not going to last as long as those trees. Your days are numbered and your number can come up at any time. And don’t expect it to be pretty or fun. 

So, like Autumn sang, enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think. Enjoy yourself, while you’re still in the pink.  The years go by quicker than a wink, so enjoy yourself, it's later than you think.

And, make sure you use your time wisely. It's so precious. Don't waste a second.

On a related note, Ann Sentilles has a superb post about a woman she met who is making good use of the last third of her life. Ann calls her a poster child for her site, which is all about late women growing older. Don't miss it on The Third Third. Click on the link on the right. I loooove The Third Third!

 

Coming soon: Your take on big box stores. Love them or hate them, they've changed our lives. Which ones do you swear by, and which can you give up?

Will the recession/depression be the end of the big box phenomenon, or has it just begun?

Leave your comments here, and be sure to leave a list of your favorites or the ones you love to hate.

Like most aspects of life, there's a good side to the combination of long days and strong sun, along with the possibility of a disaster. 

Daytime temperatures are in the 30s and 40s, nighttime in the 20s, which makes it easy for river ice to melt during the day, then freeze up a little at night. 

We don't want it to melt too quickly, for obvious reasons. A nice slow spring is a good spring.

You have to remember that, not only do we have a ton of snow and ice here waiting to melt, but we're downstream from a glacier up north that could bury us all. Whoa baby, you don't want that stuff coming down on your head!

Stay tuned. If I show up on one of your doorsteps, you'll know why. 

Yes, it's finally obvious that the days are getting longer and the sky is sitting higher in the sky. Hence, the snow has started to melt in New England from the bottom up. Eventually, there will be hollow snow shells where once there were snow banks. You can see it starting to melt around the shrubs behind our condo:

And ice is breaking up on the rivers. There's even an occasional patch of ground among the frozen stuff, in spots the sun can reach. 

Much of the road to the cabin has turned to muck, a sure sign of miserable days ahead.

Dave got me some ice skates for our anniversary, and we thought today would be the perfect day to try them out. The sun was out, sky was clear, temps right around freezing and there was hardly any wind. The calm before the storm...

Anyway, it took 20 minutes to put them, 20 minutes to take them off, and five minutes to realize the ice was much too soggy to support big people.

Everyone on the East Coast will get some form of winter weather beginning tonight and extending into Monday or Tuesday, depending on lattitude. Don't put away those hats and gloves just yet. 

Here are a few photos we took today, including a few taken on the cell phone, from the car. 

Can you share what how far you're into spring where you live? If you like, email a photo and I'll put it up on the site.