Second Summer

At the time I began to wake up to such things, I noticed a lush and colorful garden in my neighborhood.  I was 20 and I had the family car to myself with nowhere in particular to go.   But it was August and the sun was shining.

As I drove to the top of our street where there was a stop sign, I looked ahead at a small house I passed nearly everyday but this time, the small patch of garden in the back was lit like a fire.  There were tall blooms in deep purple (gladiolas?), orange sunflowers gossiping with each other face-to-face, assorted low-hanging fuchsia and yellow blooms and in between all, swaying green and creamy grasses and fronds.  It was startling and very, very beautiful.

August and September can give us, what I think of as Second Summer.  Those warm and comfortable days after the heat has gasped its last breath – sunny sighing days you wish could go on and on.  Or at least until the next spring.  I find myself saying to anyone who listens, “I wish it would stay like this”.  If you can ignore the errant brown leaf on the ground and the red-tipped oaks, you would almost believe that fall was still far away…

I love this time of year because everything is crystal clear without fogs and mists.  Gardens are still blooming but with more eye-catching colors and the sea…ever close, still beckons.  I don’t even mind the hint of crispness in the morning as long as I know it will be warm by noon.

Second Summer reminds us to slow down and without school days in the picture anymore, there is no reason not to.  This extra season is wonderful for making plans, assessing what your needs will be for next year:  a new air conditioner, fancier leather sandals,  a new swimsuit?  All on my “For Next Summer” list.

I love sitting at the beach these days with a great new cookbook or an old favorite one, on my lap.  Cookbooks are always inspire fall.  I get really excited about the possibility of making things with mushrooms again and then there are all the pumpkin breads and muffins.  I think about rich soups, Mom’s casseroles and pies too.

But if I’m reading any September issues, my thoughts go to woolens and boots.  What will I wear this winter when the snows return?  Is my black satchel still looking nice and do I need new leather gloves?  And what’s my tights and leggings situation? – those things I have stored and now can’t remember where…

These lovely thoughts swirl about me and yet, Second Summer allows for a time when I don’t have to act on anything just yet.  I just have to sit and dream and let the summer sunshine and the teasing breezes work their magic as I watch the crafting of my fall take place in my head.

The vibrant garden I happened upon long ago promised me that summer doesn’t end with Labor Day.

Salt air and the rust on your door;

I never needed anything more;

…I can see us lost in the memory (and) 

August slipped away to a moment in time

Your back in the sun, wishing I could write my name on it

~ August, Taylor Swift