. . . Apex. The throaty world sings ripen.
Our grove slips past the sun’s long kiss.
We dress.
We head home in other starlight.
Our earthly time is sweetening from this.
~ Excerpt from “Solstice,” by Tess Taylor

Summer solstice. How grateful I am to wake into this summer day, the hot, sunny weather I love in summer. I skip watering the gardens. The dogs are ready and so am I. Suzi will come with us too.I don’t take this for granted. We stop at the morning brook for her swim. Then we hike to my friend’s house, my friend’s dock, and on quick feet step down the path to the water. Charlie fishes, Suzi rests under the rhododendrons in the shade; I swim around the island vigorously and deliciously. Summer. Summer. This is my favorite time of year, these hot days freshened by the warm water lake and the long walks in the green-leafed woods. We head back home. The flowers in the woods and at the brook are amazing, the blue flag iris and the wild azalea. The day grows hot and hotter. But in the afternoon, Frank and I go out on the river Charlie on the paddle boards, and Charlie is quite content to be brought along on my board. So hot out there, we see only a couple of kayakers beside us. The red wing blackbirds flit in the low bushes; a beaver crosses the narrow river, a great blue heron lifts off ahead of me; a painted turtle rests on a sunny log. Under the blue sky and white clouds I feel, this is what I’ll see and remember at bedtime. The sky infiltrates my consciousness this way on the river. It’s immersive, the peace of this afternoon is drenching. Tonight, we all pile in the car, Suzi and Charlie too, and drive for ice cream from a window. It’s a long wait, social distancing lines, and it’s completely worth it.