An Island Garden

The days have been flying by. Even though summer work, for me, is much more relaxed and far less stressful, I've still be very busy. And now, it's almost August, which essentially means summer is over. Well, not quite, but it always feels that way. Last week, though, I took some time to really savor what New England is all about in the summer.

Thursday, my mother, sisters and I spent the day together exploring Appledore Island,

one of several islands that make up the Isles of Shoals 11 miles off the coast of Porstmouth, NH. In the late 1800s, Celia Thaxter, whose family operated a resort hotel on the island, was famous for hosting all the major writers, artists, and musicians of the time. She was also famous for her beautiful flower garden that spanned the breadth of her front porch. This garden has been recreated based on her book An Island Garden and is still a draw.

It was a misty, foggy morning for the 4

5 minute boat ride out to the island, but it warmed up and burned off the fogy as the day wore on. We had two guides who took us all over the island sharing details of Celia's life on the island interspersed with what is being done there now (Cornell University runs a marine biology center there for both grads and undergrads). It was a fascinating and beautiful day. And the fact that the four of us were together only made it all the better.

Seagulls and their fledglings were sometimes overpowering with their noise, but I was also

interested in the two varieties: Great black-backed gull and Herring gull. The mothers were very protective of their quite large babies =)

What we were most interested in, though, was the garden, all 97 varieties of annuals! Simply beautiful!

Bed in Summer

Bed in Summer by Robert Louis Stevenson

In winter I get up at night

And dress by yellow candle-light.

In summer quite the other way

I have to go to bed by day.

I have to go to bed and see

The birds still hopping on the tree,

Or hear the grown up people's feet

Still going past me in the street.

And does it not seem hard to you

When all the sky is clear and blue,

And I should so much like to play

To have to go to bed by day?

I was looking up poetry about summer today and I saw the title of this poem. Immediately I was jettisoned back to my childhood and hearing my mother quote this poem to my sisters and me as she tried to convince us that we needed to come inside and go to bed on summer days. We loved playing outside, so it was hard to get us to come inside. I have to say the poem didn't make it any easier, but it did let us know we weren't the only ones having to "go to bed by day."

Summer here in MA has been rainy, cloudy, and kind of dreary. The major outdoor bright spot has been the amazing bird activity at my office window bird feeder. I have several families who are regulars--nuthatches, cardinals, song sparrows, grosbeaks and others. The feeder reminds me of a very busy airport with planes/birds landing and taking off constantly =)

Summer "Snow"

Every year at about this time, some kind of plant sends its fluff flying through the air for days. It is so thick, sometimes, that it looks like we are in the middle of a Nor'easter. It piles up in corners and under trees. It gets caught in the grass and bushes. I'm not sure what it is. It's not milkweed, and I don't see enough dandelions around to pile up this much (although this picture will somewhat belie that statement). Maybe it's from cattails, but I don't see them either. In fact, I have not seen anything it could come from. Yet there is the evidence that somewhere nearby, there's a plant that likes to "snow." Any ideas anyone?

First Days of Summer

I barely got home from Tucson (at 2:30 in the morning no less) when I was on the road again. I went up to Maine to see my parents because it will be another four weeks before I will be able to visit them again. I had the usual fabulous time, and am so thankful that I can spend quality time with them fairly frequently.

Their backyard is a haven for flowers and birds. We sat out on the back patio and soaked up the sun and the peace. There are two bluebird nest boxes at the end of the yard that provided the set ting for a fascinating drama that kept my mother and me interested for hours, literally.

The male bluebird is either a polygamist or was trying to persuade his female partner that one box was better than the other. He kept going in and out of the right hand box, pausing to perch on the post or the trellis nearby. Now and again he'd go over to the left hand box, and more than once he was chased out by a female inside. We couldn't decide if there were two females, or just that she wanted to be in the left and he wanted her in the right. This saga was still going on today!

Meanwhile, there were dozens of other birds coming and going at the various feeders and trees: goldfinch, Baltimore orioles, ruby throated hummingbirds, robins, purple finches, indigo buntings, evening grosbeaks, mourning doves, nuthatches, chipping sparrows, and many more. What a great way to welcome in summer!

Tucson--Day Four

I just checked the weather at home. It's 43 degrees cooler there than it was here today! That's the same number, by the way, that the Celtics were up, at one point, last night. I happily watched the game, but am missing all the hoopla that went on in Boston today. It's a lot of fun seeing and feeling a city that's alive with excitement. We've experience that a lot the past few years =)

I'm listening to a rerun of the Memorial Service for Tim Russert and am laughing with the nun who taught him English over his declaration that he will never need to know the difference between a subject and predicate. You can imagine I've heard that line myself. Many times. And guess what? I have said it myself. As a teacher! Of course it does matter that you know how to use them, but that's another story... I'll miss Tim...

We had the afternoon and evening free tonight, wouldn't you know. I stayed inside during the heat of the day but went out for a walk at sunset. I had an interesting encounter with a killdeer, ironically after Monarch posted some amazing pictures of killdeer chicks (he called them killfawns). I haven't seen a killdeer in years, and all of a sudden, there one is, crossing my path and then hiding from my sight. I tried taking pictures, but it was kind of dark and its camouflage is outstanding. It is in the center of these pictures. See if you can see it!

It's a Macro Summer Day

It's been well over 90 degrees each day this week, which means it's been exhausting to do more than sit around. I realize it's hotter in other places, so I won't say I'm complaining, only stating a fact that made our graduation on Sunday somewhat miserable, but has otherwise been manageable.

Sunday's graduation was a joyful affair. For the first time in a few years, all our seniors graduated without last-minute heroics, so stress was minimal on the whole. It was a long affair, though, which was all the more challenging because of the heat. Once it was over, I went straight home and sat in front of my air conditioner with my feet up and a tall glass of pomegranate and blueberry juice on ice.

Meanwhile, the peonies and other flowers were quietly blossoming so that when I arrived at school this morning, I found the gardens bursting with beauty. I tried out the macro setting on my new camera. I'm embarrassed to say I didn't realize what fun this setting can be until today! But from now on...watch out!

Last Day

So. It's over and done. Another school year completed. It's been rainy most of the last half of the week, so some of the year-end activities didn't happen because they were outdoor events. The children adjusted just fine, though. They are, usually, much more flexible than adults =)

It was a long day, though. The evening program, a Consecration and Parents Appreciation for the seniors, started late and ended much later. But it was nice. The students invited one of their former teachers to come back. It was a nice reunion. Just late. Now, today, we have more programs. Today, it's the current teachers' turns to have the last word. I'm up early preparing my little talk, so must get to it.

Photos: Little Isabella checking out the rain soaked Iris as she leaves school. Other garden delights.

Take Joy, Make Joy

I have a writer friend in Norway who inspires me every day with her unique perspectives on life and God. This morning she wrote in her blog about how Norwegians use the word “joy” as a verb. In her native tongue, “joy” means “to look forward to.” For her, to look forward to a new day fills her with joy. When she writes “Jeg gleder meg til hver ny dag,” it translates literally to “I am joying myself” each new day, but in English, we would say that she is looking forward to every new day

I think Britt-Arnild’s way of expressing anticipation as joy is pretty cool. As I read her meditation today I thought about the things we anticipate in life. For our students, right now, it is the end of the school year. OK, who am I kidding? The teachers are anticipating this joyfully as well =) Truth is, most of us look forward to summertime for many reasons. I enjoy the longer daylight hours, the warmer weather, the brilliant blue skies, the more relaxed rhythms and the (dare I say it) silence of a summer work day. In every sense of the word, I am longing for summer vacation.

And yet, as my friend says, “Every day is a gift from God.” It doesn’t need to be a perfect summer day for us to take joy in the hours we’re given. If we anticipate good things, are they not more likely to come our way? If we wake each morning intentionally looking forward to joy, it seems to me it is bound to be there. If our anticipation is a joyful one at the outset, the tone for the rest of our day is already determined.

So, what joy will you find in the days ahead of you? May you always say “Jeg gleder meg til hver ny dag.”

Photos: Flowers in the gardens at school contribute to the joying of the day. All taken with my new Olympus camera!