Happy Canada Day to one and all. Even to those who aren't of the Canadian persuasion.
Julius Caesar named July after himself when he reworked the old Roman calendar. (Ironically, the change went into effect in 44 B.C., the year Caesar was assassinated.)
July is the warmest month on most of the continent. Sweet corn—knee-high by the Fourth of July, with luck—thrives now, and an attentive gardener literally can hear it growing. All you have to do is just listen for a creaking sound. I told my 7 year old friend, Isha, this and she thought for sure I was pulling her leg.
When the heat like a mist veil floats,
And poppies flame in the rye,
And the silver note in the streamlet’s throat
Has softened almost to a sigh.
It is July.
And poppies flame in the rye,
And the silver note in the streamlet’s throat
Has softened almost to a sigh.
It is July.
–Susan Hartley Swett (1860–1907)
1 comment:
Ah, Cita, what a lovely picture you draw with your words.This line “The silver note in the streamlet’s throat” hits me in a very real way: I toured Yosemite Tuesday and the waterfalls spilled over the mountaintops like there would be no tomorrow. Their sounds ricochetted off Valley walls at times overpowering even the most determined conversationalist. Our snowpack hit over 160% for the first time in a decade and the waterfalls shout it to the treetops.
Now about hearing corn grow... I’m a bit skeptical myself.
I love you and miss your smiling face.
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