Sunday, August 01, 2010

White Rabbits, White Rabbits on the first day of August.

I had every intention of murmuring their name when I first woke up, but I awakened twenty-two minutes late, and so I said, quite clearly, - 'Oh, Shoot!'  I slipped into my short red robe and Caspar met me at the bedroom door, - amazingly the sweet dog had been patient and we were able to make it outside for our first business trip of the day.  The sun lingered just under the horizon and touched the clouds gently with light.



Perhaps the White Rabbits will be as accommodating and all my August wishes will come true.......

With the first day of August comes slightly cooler weather, and the long range forecast is for rain off and on for the next two weeks.  The Valley is smoky from fires near and far,



 - dark blue clouds lit up with flashes of lightning in the late evening did nothing to lessen the wildfire dangers in the province, but sometime during the night if must have rained as the garden was freshly watered and refreshed this morning.

A stroll through the garden as July packed her bags reveals a gentle slide into autumn colours and a farewell to true summertime growth.

The sunflowers who creep in uninvited, but always welcome, are stretching their sunny faces to the sun.



And the barn flowers that were banished this spring from the middle of the garden are 
brightening up the fenceline. 


The white phlox are budding whilst the bee balm bravely sways in her tattered tutu.


These lovely yellow daisies will be with us until frost comes in September or October


and the roses are blooming again



The perennial sweet peas require constant deadheading, - as does the lamb's ear that crops up in unexpected places and provides a honey bar for the bees with it's long splendid spiky blooms.


Each season is preceded by lovely omens of what is to come, and as the grasses seed 
and the autumn sedum and mums hint at the splendour of their beautiful colours
 we seem to prepare ourselves for the slow quiet days of Fall.

"As Summer into Autumn slips
And yet we sooner say
"The Summer" than "the Autumn," lest
We turn the sun away,

And almost count it an Affront
The presence to concede
Of one however lovely, not
The one that we have loved --

So we evade the charge of Years
On one attempting shy
The Circumvention of the Shaft
Of Life's Declivity."
-   Emily Dickinson, As Summer Into Autumn Slips

4 comments:

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

Oh, this made me laugh. I always intend to say "white rabbits" on the first day of every month, but cannot ever seem to manage it. Today, I think I said, "just yogurt", in response to my husband's sweet question about my breakfast preferences! Ah well, what can one do?

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Your flowers are so bright and beautiful. I'd never heard of that white rabbit" thing on the first of the month, but this morning I read it on another post. Huh! Never too late to learn a new tradition. (Although like you I'll probably just end up saying 'oh shoot'!

your posts always make me feel happy. Thanks for sharing.

Dimple said...

Lovely flowers, many are familiar to me. I'm not facing autumn yet, my head is turned over my shoulder at summer.

Barb said...

I had no idea you had to wish to the white rabbits - does Lucinda count? Your garden flowers are lush and wonderful, but I was hoping for a pic of the Chinese Lantern...