In The Good Old Summertime

There is nothing like Summer, but it's a bit of a mixed blessing: on the one hand, it's SUMMER - the days are long, your spirit is free, and you're able to enjoy things you can only dream about doing the rest of the year. On the other hand, the weather can be so hot and humid, you may end up cowering in front of a fan or languishing in the cool embrace of your A/C, not daring to move at all.

The yard and garden experience this same conflict, and I'm struck by it every year. One minute, everything looks wonderful, but the next it's scorched and dry. Just a few weeks ago, the flowers in the edible garden were magnificent - the chamomile was sunny and bright, and made for a calming tea in the evenings:

The starry borage blossoms were striking on their tall, hairy stems:

And the nasturtiums were creamy and smooth, belying their peppery bite:

Then, somehow, things started to change, taking on a more barren and forlorn aspect. The echinacea in particular now looks like it was stuck in the oven too long. Even though it's painful to see, I won't cut them down until I'm sure the goldfinches have pecked every last seed out of those cones:

Conversely, weeds and other things seem to thrive and take over, like this luxurious pigweed by my deck. I can't help but admire how healthy it looks, and I almost (almost) hate to chop it down:

But there are some things that don't seem to care how hot it gets and, thankfully, they taste like sweet success. So I'm enjoying them while I can, because before I know it, these too will be just a delicious memory:

>o<