These Precious Summer Days
If you count the days between summer solstice and autumn equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, you’ll find the halfway point is around August 7th each year. That means as of today, summer is in its sweet midlife/messy middle phase.
But if you actually live in the Northern Hemisphere (like I do), depending on where exactly you are and who you spend your time with, you might be surprised by this. Here in Maine, tops of trees are turning orange and college kiddos are getting ready to move in for fall semester, and in the South my friends and family are in full-on back-to-school mode.
That means I’ve started to feel like summer is over. Social constructs, hey? But also, not really a surprise, if I’m honest. I’ve always tended to rush the seasons. Always wanted to be ready for the next thing. And as a result, I’m starting to see I’ve been missing a little of each season’s magic.
Thankfully this past week, I found myself with an opportunity/nudge to reset, reframe, and rethink a few things, and it left its mark in the best of ways.
It happened when I finished The Emilys last weekend and noticed something on my Libro Wish List I had completely forgotten about — Ann Patchett’s These Precious Days.
I’ve seen the title on book lists a thousand times, but for whatever reason, this week it captivated me. I bought the audio version and started it right away. I love it.
These Precious Days is a collection of essays by Ann Patchett about her life, her people, and her precious days.
It’s sweet and simply beautiful. And this week, it’s been a good reminder to take nothing for granted, to rush nothing. . .
To savor early sunrises,
late sunsets,
tomatoes on toast,
bare feet in the grass,
fresh basil pesto,
shimmering lakes,
shady porches,
sweaty hikes,
books in hammocks,
stargazing in my pjs,
the start of the Perseids,
& every warm summer night. . .
And since it is indeed the mathematical middle of summer today, it’s about time I celebrated my summer vegetable garden and how much it’s growing despite my many mistakes.
After all, the first carrots are ready and the tomato, zucchini, and squash picking is happening daily right now ⤵
So I made a little video garden tour to share with you!
There’s no sound or fancy voiceover on the video (I hate doing that kind of stuff, so I don’t :), but you’ll get a great tour of my garden in all its glory, along with a bit of my mountain view and a hint of a few house projects in their messy middle, too.
🌿🪻First, you’ll see the herbs I’ve been growing on the porch ~ lavender, thyme, and mint (the only thing I could find strong enough to stand with no protection from full sun and wind).
🍅🫑Next, you’ll see the tomatoes, cucumbers, marigolds, and ancho peppers growing in my raised beds ~ and the basil patch and second round of lettuce seeds sprouting.
💐🌸Then, the inside of the greenhouse where my zinnias are blooming, along with more tomatoes and cucumbers and a few experimental plants here and there.
🥕🧅🥒Last, you’ll see my squash and zucchini patch, more tomatoes (so many tomato plants this year!), and the large raised bed where my potatoes, carrots, and onions are growing.
You can watch the video on my unlisted channel (link here and embedded in the thumbnail below).
I hope you love it! 🥕🍅👩🏻🌾🫑
This weekend, I’m reading The Girl Who Played With Fire (a worn paperback copy I picked up last weekend at my local used book shop for $6 and immediately lost myself in its pages) and finishing up These Precious Days on audio while I keep plugging along on my annual must re-read bookstack.
What are you reading?
✌🏼️💓 📚
Celeste
did AI write this? nope, this lady did ⤴ always💛
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*No portion of this work may be used for training artificial intelligence without written permission from the author (which she will not be giving). See you next Friday!