As the sun rose this morning it greeted the Similkameen
with the promise of a smoldering, smokey Saturday
but somewhere the wind changed directions
and although the scent of the air is still reminiscent
of wildfires, in the distance,
it was still pleasant to be outside for a while,
watering the pots and moving the garden sprinklers around.
The house is all closed up, and the A/C hums away...
so nice and cool I am glad of a sweater.
Along about August in days gone by the peaches would be
getting ripe in the orchard, - fuzzy and warm!
The children would be wary of Mother when she came in from picking peaches...
they tell me now!!
And I must admit to being a cranky peach picker until
a shower made me feel civilized again.....
But how we all loved peaches, - dessert was easy those August days
peaches and cream, peach crumble, ice cream and peaches,
peaches and chocolate cake....
After we moved to town, bereft of fresh peaches right off the tree,
I used to go to fruit stands and beg for their over-ripes,
(which they didn't sell to tourists)
hurry home, slice them up, and Charles and I would be in peach-heaven!
Because it is really not wise to be out gardening while we are bathed in smoke
I have been keeping busy in the house.
Well, not busy cleaning and re-arranging cupboards,
or dusting, or baking.....
just busy in the loom room and reading a bit.
I had hoped to start off August with a bare-naked loom, and I did
finish the garden scarf I was working on
but when it was all done and I threw the last pick
I discovered I had probably a yard and a half left on my warp,
quizzical as to what I was going to do with it!!!
I also have four bobbins of 20/2 white silk
and two bobbins of green silk, left over from other projects,
and I am hoping that they will stretch to make a rather shorter scarf
with a rather longer fringe on it!!!
As to the reading.....whilst roaming through blogland
I came upon a recommendation to read
Phil Rickman's series about Merrily Watkins, a Vicar
(Priest in charge) of a parish in Bedfordshire (or Hertfordshire,
depending upon when the boundaries were changed).
In any case, from the home of some of my ancestors, which tempted me to
read at least the first book "The Wine of Angels"
I am at page 71 and think I am going to enjoy it!
I have also been fiddling with the ukulele, if that is possible....
The other day I came upon the ukulele chords for "Bring me Sunshine",
which I love.... and they are easy enough for me to play.
I strum away, and sing to myself, missing
Charles who always helped me stay in tune when he sang beside me....
If I wasn't a church-goer and still believed
what I learned in Sunday School I could imagine him
looking down from heaven (gold streets, clouds, harps, etc.)
but there, the years have confused me and I don't know where his spirit is.
I feel him close and the memory of his lovely clear tenor is very dear, -
and I imagine what fun we would have had if I had discovered
the ukulele earlier....
This one will make you dance....
4 comments:
I have recently taken up the ukulele too Hildred. We gave a gig yesterday - about twenty of us and it went very well. I am really enjoying getting into it.
Peaches, fuzzy and warm... I remember them well. My first job, a long time ago, was picking out the ones that were over-ripe. I worked on the belt before the peaches passed through the de-fuzzing machine, so I know all about being "a cranky peach picker." I do think fresh peaches and home-made ice cream was summer's biggest treat!
I am hopeful that the fires in your province will soon be contained. We don't get much information on the news channels from Canada, so I sometimes google for updates.
I enjoy your posts so much, and have been thinking about going back to the beginning to reread some of your earlier posts, which I have done before. Please keep writing!
We listened to both versions of 'Bring Me Sunshine' (Bill happens to be sitting at his computer cleaning up email, so I did not worry about distracting him -- next thing I know he had stopped 'working' and was listening.) We decided the only better thing would have been to see and hear you playing it yourself!!
And peaches -- oh yes -- we have never had a tree, but used to go to the UPick orchard with all four of the kids ... come home all six of us sticky and dirty and boxes of peaches to put up (although we would do a great job of eating at least a boxful fresh). They really taste like sunshine. I smiled to hear you say 'now they tell me'.... I too still hear things that they never told me when they were young.
Hoping for the fires up there and the ones nearer to us will soon be contained.
I am really enjoying getting into it.
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