Feeling Mellow by the Yellow

When I think of August, I think of the color yellow and I start to feel a tad mellow and even melancholy. Summer is waning. 

In May, June and July, the landscape is a vivid shade of green. Once the calendar turns to August, however, and we move through the month, that same landscape begins to turn a yellowish-green, as if it's tiring out and is tossing us some hints that autumn is coming and we'd better get ready.

August's hallmark feverish heat and brilliant sunshine are often accompanied by a dreamy haze of humid weather, including early morning fog and early evening mist. We hurry to get in some more lazy afternoons in the hammock reading a book. Or perhaps we pack up the kids and head to the water with a beach umbrella and a heavy picnic basket. 

The small garden patch's late summer produce is at its most abundant, including enough zucchini, tomatoes and cucumbers to feed an entire neighborhood. Among my favorite late summer yellow food is corn on the cob nestled in its brown-tasseled husk. In our household, we make a dinner of it, usually with juicy, thick slices of tomato. By month's end, pears and early apples are available at orchards and farmer's markets.

The flowers boast their yellow color, as well: Sunflowers with their big, cheery faces, black-eyed susans in rich abundance, goldenrod peeking through the tall grasses, sunshiny gladioli and more. 

The weeds seem to relax a bit in August - a gift to any gardener. 

The sunrises and sunsets are yellow and other sherbet colors splashing across the horizon. The sun pokes its head up in the morning a little later than a month ago and it decides to go to bed for the night earlier, too. As the sun sets, we open the windows to escape from the air conditioning and invite the cool breeze and the night sounds in. The sky somehow appears thicker with stars. August is an ideal month of star gazing.

The cicadas sing to us during the day and the crickets take over in the cloak of darkness. The butterflies dance around us.

School will start soon and summer will end, all the more reason to relish every single one of the precious days of August while we can.

How do you plan to enjoy these magnificent August days and evenings?

Fireflies, Fairs and Fireworks - It Must be July

It's July -- that lovely month of long days, hot temperatures and a calendar jam-packed with activities and celebrations. In the rural area where I live, the month's arrival means 4th of July parades and fireworks, outdoor concerts, the county fair and even a parade that celebrates our community's circus heritage. July is simply one party after another!

The Cole Bros. "America" Steam Calliope, an antique circus wagon
preserved by Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
The American circus is a rich part of our country's cultural history.
A parade to celebrate Baraboo's circus heritage takes place in the city each July.

The 4th of July is a red, white and blue day of celebrations, both large and small, of our country's independence. On that day, we remember with gratitude our many freedoms and we celebrate our country and what it stands for through concerts, parades, family reunions and gatherings, fireworks and more. 

As a child, my family's 4th of July celebrations included eating food prepared on the barbecue grill, lighting a few sparklers and watching the little silver wands sizzle like miniature fireworks, and then driving into town to witness the community's big fireworks display, either from the grandstand in the county fairgrounds or high upon a hill in the city hospital's parking lot where we could avoid the crowds and traffic, but enjoy the elaborate light display. At the end of the evening, we might sit in webbed aluminum lawn chairs in our spacious country backyard and watch the fireflies dart around us.

The unincorporated community of Witwen, Wisconsin grows by the thousands on July 4 each year
when a parade lasting more than an hour takes to the main street.
The annual Witwen parade is rural America at its finest.
Following the parade is a bountiful chicken barbecue.

Some of my favorite childhood July memories have to do with the county fair. The fairgrounds are located within the city limits of my hometown, a large green space surrounded by residential neighborhoods and businesses on the community's east side. The fairgrounds' old-time grandstand and white clapboard display buildings harken back to an earlier, simpler time. I love those old structures. 

As a 4-H student, I entered everything from table place settings to posters to centerpieces for judging. I ended up with a rainbow of ribbons, surely not a blue ribbon every time. I learned valuable lessons in responsibility and creativity at a young age, thanks to my 4-H years. 

As a young teen, I even had a vendor booth at the fair where I sold decorative banners, my own creations made of burlap, felt and Naugahyde, as a way to raise funds for a French class trip I was taking to Europe. 

The child in me has always loved amusement rides. My favorite remains the Tilt-a-Whirl. Any ride that scrambles me around (including the Scrambler) suits me well. Roller coasters, not so much. 

The rides, the displays, the animals, the concerts, the ice cream cones and corn dogs, and the fun with family and friends all come together at our county fair -- just like a blue ribbon-winning recipe.

Ride an amusement park ride, check out the 4-H winners,
see the farm animals on display, eat pie and ice cream, hear a concert or watch the tractor pull
at the Sauk County (Wisconsin) Fair each mid-July. 

July is here! How will you relish each of its 31 days? How will you celebrate this glorious summer month and its many events and activities? 

Make memories that will last you through the long winter months ahead and for years and years to come. 

Food for the Soul

I love potlucks. I love the myriad choices of food, but even more, I love the communal dining experience that a potluck affords. Larry and I have had the pleasure of attending a few potlucks and picnics in recent weeks and each time I have relished the moments. Although I like to actively participate in the conversations, I've found myself hanging back, being quieter at these affairs now and again, just to listen to the laughter, watch the pleasant interactions among longtime friends and witness the camaraderie that comes from dining together. My late mom used to tell me that Sunday afternoons were some of the longest in her week, for as a widow, she was longing for mealtime companionship. Dining with friends, whether at a restaurant or communally at a potluck or picnic, were joyful times that filled that longing with food for both the body and the spirit. I'm grateful for the potlucks and picnics coming our way this spring and summer. Such events bring people together for the sake of breaking bread and dishing out some good ol' food for the soul.

Too Nice To Be Inside

Yesterday was just one of those days made for being outdoors. Though chilly (bordering on crisp), the sun warmed the day, beckoning me to the fresh air.  My friend Kitty and I took our sub sandwiches and apples out to Devil's Lake State Park for a picnic on the South Shore beach.  The sun bounced off of the west bluff, giving the russet oak leaves an orange cast and making the rock outcroppings appear more silver than gray.  A late afternoon walk through my neighborhood revealed others' similar passion for being outside.  With rakes in hand, they were beautifying their yards and preparing for the inevitable winter.