I imagine that if you go to a luxurious resort, somewhere perhaps on the Seychelles or Tahitian islands, eventually you'll stretch out in some comfy outside space, maybe by a pool, pick up a glass of something cool and refreshing and say -- this is the life! You'll have paid a fortune, so actually it isn't The Life at all, at least not for anyone I know, but still, I imagine there is a contentment that flows from feeling so pampered by the comfort of your chair, the cool drink, the sea breezes, the warm sun!
Well, I admit to feeling that way today. Pampered, not by beaches and massages and tropical drinks, but by the utter richness of our foods at the market right now, pampered by splashing in the kiddie pool with the grandkids while their mom entertains me with life stories, pampered by stretching out on my newly arrived and assembled porch chair -- an Adirondack with a foot rest. The cushion for it isn't here yet, but we have plenty of pillows and I'll make do.
The whole day is just so full of my Wisconsin bounty! The weather is grand, the flowers are in full bloom, the market is overflowing with July foods. This is the season for blueberries! This is the season for Door County cherries! This is the season (starting right now) for corn that you eat the same day that it's picked! And if you have never eaten hours-old corn, well, maybe you'll be lucky enough to come up to Wisconsin sometime in late July or early August. Go to the market or a local grower (we have one about a mile away!) and pick up a few ears and eat it for supper that night! Unforgettable.
So I'm feeling very rich indeed. Perhaps one Adirondack and an ear of corn and a splash with kids isn't your idea of Tahiti or Seychelles, but it is mine. This, indeed is The Life!
Now, let's go back and relive it with pictures:
Morning snipping brought in 580 spent lily blooms. Not a record, but I'm thinking it may be this year's average at the peak of the lily season.
(ruby red!)
(morning light)
- Nymphs and shepherds, come away,
- In this grove let's sport and play;
- For this is Flora's holiday,
- Sacred to ease and happy love,
- To music, to dancing and to poetry.
- Your flocks may now securely rest
- While you express your jollity!
- Nymphs and shepherds, come away.
(eye popping colors!)
(She looks like she's surfing!)
(Unie, following ...)
(looking at the new side bed where two trees once stood: it's gettin' there!)
Breakfast, with Ed, on the porch.
Wait, not only with Ed!
Unie, our 5 month old chicken often thinks she is a companion dog. She follows us around when we work the fields, and Ed swears she kept him company when he was fixing a machine by perching on his toolbox and following his every move.
I'm okay with a lap chicken. I'm not okay with a chicken exploring the porch. (We kicked her out quickly enough.)
Now comes the market. I went alone, to pick up some flowers and beans and to check the status of the corn. It's here!
So, too, are Door County cherries. Not the sour ones but the sweet. I get those. And french green beans, carrots, flowers and blueberries. Wisconsin riches.
I was to meet my daughter and her older kids at the community pool, but it's closed this morning for some racing stuff. The kids chose to substitute our time at the pool with this, over on the deck of their home:
You might ask -- what's in it for me? Oh, the cool water! The laughter!
With my daughter sitting nearby with Sandpiper, keeping us company.
(Refreshed, after water play)
(ready for a book)
(an eye opening kind of day!)
And back at the farmhouse porch, Ed has built the chair and now I have an afternoon of continued bliss.
And a a supper of corn. With chicken brats, but those are a sidekick. It's all about the fresh corn. A fine marker of a Wisconsin summer.
