It’s almost mid-Summer season

Today’s “big news” is that we finally confirmed the new arrival at the feeder this week is a house finch. Previously we’ve been visited by purple finches, but this is the first time we’ve felt certain that isn’t who arrived this week.

The male American goldfinches are in bright chrome yellow breeding colors. Roadsides are full of what I think are Canada thistle blooms. When we head off to pick up the CSA box today, we’ll see if the Better Half confirms that or not.

clouds without rain: promises unkept

Photo by J. Harrington

Last night brought lightning and thunder, making SiSi, our yellow lab cross rescue dog very nervous for an hour or so. We didn’t get any rain to go with the tribulations which seems par for the course this summer, but unfair. Harry, the rescue beagle who barks long and loud at any unusual noise, seems to have somehow sprained his tail. We’re keeping an eye on that and have already checked in with the vet. He doesn’t seem to be in any pain but neither does he wag it.

Have you noticed the days are getting shorter? Over the next week we’ll lose about 15 minutes of daylight. Early morning dog walks are now occurring in dark or moonlight, not pre-sunrise dawn. I’ve not noticed the evenings getting shorter but ymmv. By Sunday, we’ll be more than halfway through July which puts us in peak mid-Summer from a meteorological perspective. Astronomically we’ll get there at the end of the first week in August. I’m now beginning to actively resist the urge to look forward to Autumn. That should last until Lammas or Lughnasadh on August 1. Maybe by then thunderstorms will actually deliver rain.

Squall

Leonora Speyer

The squall sweeps gray-winged across the obliterated hills,
And the startled lake seems to run before it;
From the wood comes a clamor of leaves,
Tugging at the twigs,
Pouring from the branches,
And suddenly the birds are still.

Thunder crumples the sky,
Lightning tears at it.

And now the rain!
The rain—thudding—implacable—
The wind, reveling in the confusion of great pines!

And a silver sifting of light,
A coolness;
A sense of summer anger passing,
Of summer gentleness creeping nearer—
Penitent, tearful,
Forgiven!

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