It feels like getting out of jail. Finally, a few consecutive warm days, enough to make us believe summer is really going to happen. Most of the time we can wander outdoors without a jacket, and some people are even wearing shorts and flip flops.
I mowed the other day, and probably should have stacked the clippings to feed cattle next winter. We have been gone too much to do lawn work, and when we are home it’s been wet and cold, but we aren’t complaining about the wet part.
While cutting my way through the jungle, I reveled in the scents of summer. Lilacs are gone now, but chokecherries are in bloom. Since childhood, I’ve loved the smell of new mown grass. Wild rose perfume drifted in on the breeze and, so far, we haven’t dealt with smoke from distant fires so the air is fresh and invigorating.
This is the first year that we haven’t put in garden until June, but I’m just glad to have that done. A whole day planting flowers followed, and as the sun beat down on my shoulders and peepers sang in the pond, the weight of a world of bad news seemed to slip away.
Cattle are out on grass now, and we have hope, since the rains, that the pastures will carry them through the summer. Hay crops will be short, but many ranches have already cut their herds because of drought. With fuel prices going up daily, we wonder how long we can make a living at this ranching habit. Anyone who has been debating about whether to sell out is tipping that direction more every day.
We saw a lot of campers on the road over Memorial Day and wondered how people can afford to travel. Surely the tourism business will suffer. Maybe people with deeper pockets will take up the slack, but it’s likely the average family won’t be planning a vacation anytime soon.
All that being said, it’s hard to remain pessimistic on a perfect June day with the windows open to scented breezes and birds celebrating the season. Much of what makes us discouraged can’t be changed by our worrying and fretting. Disaster may overtake us, or not, but just for today, go outdoors, take a deep breath, and allow yourself to believe that a Power greater than yourself is still in charge. Open your heart and mind to the possibility of peace. Right here, right now, we are surrounded by blessings, and blessings are multiplied by gratitude.
Meet me here next week, and meanwhile do your best. Somebody might like it.