Peaches in the Summertime

Aloha.

June is here. Twenty-some days and it will be summer. You can always count on the seasons. As long as the earth stays tilted and keeps going around the sun, summer will come. Then fall and winter and spring. In the Southern Hemisphere, they are gearing up for winter, but the order is still the same: winter, spring, summer, and fall.

It's transition time, getting away from the gentle greenness of spring and into the humid wonders of summer--at least that's what it'll be like around here. This year I'll be experiencing summer East-Coast-style, with plenty of heat and humidity, things I've come to know and enjoy.

And there's music too. Many songs and lyrics have touched on the splendid season of summer. But right now I'm thinking of words from the old folk song, "Shady Grove," which goes: "Peaches in the summertime, apples in the fall, if I can't have the girl I want, I won't have none at all."

Yes, summertime, the season of peaches and other fruits and vegetables, juicy edibles that come from the earth. Summer is also the season of Sweat. And it's a good thing that I like to sweat. I'm sweating right now, sweat dripping down off my face. I just got back from a walk with Marley. It's warm and humid out, hot enough to draw sweat after about fifteen minutes of walking.

Today I did my normal walk, and I saw the cherry tree on the edge of the forest, and the small red cherries that are just beginning to grow. And I smelled the air--it was slightly cooler--the air of the forest, so good and so right. And I was happy to have a little neighborhood side street so I could walk in peace and breath some decent air. There was this one little place on my walk, where the smell reminded me of Yosemite. There were some white pines there and also some eastern red cedar, and perhaps it was those trees, and the dried leaves on the ground, baking under the hot sun, that helped to concoct a wonderful, warm, and spicy aroma that took me right back to Yosemite. For summer in Yosemite carries a fine smell that I know and love.

And now, with Yosemite on my mind, I will move away from this blog, and get busy with some other writing. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to hydrate on the hot days that are ahead.