Thursday, June 24, 2010

Midsummer

Right on cue, the cicadas began their insistent thrumming tonight...Eliza swears she heard them last night, and she probably did, but it wasn't until tonight that they caught my ear.

In tangible celebration of this first high point of summer's riches, Ani harvested a huge beet this morning.
It still boggles my mind that she put the seed in the ground, covered it, and 2 months later...a beet.
We don't have a scale, so in lieu of weighing it, she measured it.  Then she carved her name in the skin, and carried it around for an hour and a half, showing anyone who would stop and listen.  She was proud.
She was particularly taken with the beautiful color and pattern of the inside, but ultimately decided that eating it was going to be the best part.  It was.
Not to be outdone, Eliza's turnip patch produced this hefty root. From the garden to lunch in about 15 minutes. We were all buzzing a little from how awesome that is...

:: :: :: ::
Midsummer is such a time of bounty for us: it is not only Eliza's birthday this week, the Summer Solstice, the anniversary of the start of my life with Dan (17 years), and Midsummer, it is also the anniversary of our wedding, ten years ago today.  One of Dan's gifts to me was a new volume of poetry by my favorite poet, Mary Oliver, and in it I found this.  It reminded me of a walk I took this week under the beauty of an evening sky, from which I returned with a hand full of black raspberries for my love.

I don't want to live a small life.

I don't want to live a small life.  Open your eyes,
open your hands.  I have just come
from the berry fields, the sun

kissing me with its golden mouth all the way
(open  your hands) and the wind-winged clouds
following along thinking perhaps I might

feed them, but no I carry these heart-shapes
only to you.  Look how many how small
but so sweet and maybe the last gift
I will ever bring to anyone in this
world of hope and risk, so do.
Look at me.  Open your life, open your hands.
Mary Oliver
I am feeling so grateful for this life we are having. 

3 comments:

merry said...

What a beautiful entry - and congratulations on so many levels!!Ani, your beet looks so delicious! I know how much you love beets, but I hope you save one for me to enjoy next week! I love you all.

Reba said...

I know I should be most excited about the love and celebration of your anniversary (congratulations!) but really I'm excited about the giant beet!!!! Hurray! It's sooo awesome that the girls are experiencing the miracle of growing things. It makes me smile to think of them and you two in the plot. Thanks for sharing your life with us in your writing.

Anonymous said...

Wow...Our beets are no where near as big as Ani's. Looking forward to when they are. I love Mary Oliver too. Such beautiful words she writes and such a lovely life you lead.
- Debbie <3