Cares seem small
Summer splendor near Concord, Massachusetts, June 2012
…what though we suffer? Sun and skies
And green trees’ beauty make our cares seem small;
Boon that no Esau sells, or Crœsus buys,
The golden summer-time, is over all.
— Percy Reeve
It has been a tough summer already, but not without happiness. There’s a joy in the season that can’t be totally quenched even when the afternoon is dreary with rain.
One thing I so love about Jeff, something we have always shared, is his ability to take great delight in nature. We’ve had less time to enjoy the outdoors together than I had hoped we would have this year. But what little time we’ve had has been sweet, looking out the glass doors early in the day, watching the mourning dove hopping around our back porch, watering the flowering shrubs, and enjoying the cardinals who lately seem determined to take over the longtime dominance of robins in our back yard.
The days are at their longest this week. Already we are starting the slow slide into autumn. Why not take an early morning stroll or twilight walk? Take along a camera, or save memories simply by looking a bit longer than usual at whatever seasonal sight most captures your imagination.
I hope you will find time to savor every moment of sunlight, basking in the vibrant green trees and blue skies that make our cares seem suddenly lighter.
This post was first published seven years ago today. The original post, comments and photo are linked, along with two other related posts, below. These links to related posts, and their thumbnail photos, do not appear in the blog feed; they are only visible when viewing the individual posts by clicking on each one. I have no idea why, nor do I know how they choose the related posts. That’s just the way WordPress does things.
Defeat Despair 
Summer is so short here – we need to soak up every minute, it seems!
Yes, I can imagine so. In the south, we are always ready for autumn when it finally arrives with its gracious cool mornings and earlier evenings.
And don’t forget that cup of tea, Julia!
-Alan
Oh, yes! Tea remains one of my great, dependable joys in life. Right now I’m enjoying a wonderful cut of Assam which was sent to me by Jena (who has appeared on this blog a few times) from Stratford-Upon-Avon, where she and her husband recently visited. It’s such a delicious brew! I love Assam because I like my tea good and strong.