Every summer I get giddy thinking about the sweet, sweaty hours to come immersed in mindless books. Oh I know, mindless is a bit strong, but summer reading has a flavor that sets it apart from other more intellectual seasons. As school ends and the temperature rises, I escape into new worlds, meeting interesting characters who keep me company through the long lazy days of sunshine. Thus far I have plowed through three books, The Gift by Lois Lowry, The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen, and most recently The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (positively lovely). I recommend all three with enthusiasm and although I have no intention of penning a literary description of any kind I will say, that each book left me feeling a bit lighter, not smarter but certainly lighter. I'll keep you posted as my hefty stack of unread books continues to shrink. Just imagine what enthusiasm I will garner for my literary pursuits once the weather outside no longer looks like this:
Can anyone say "ENOUGH ALREADY!!!"?
Yes, I know it doesn't look like much. It was only about 5 inches in diameter and 8 feet tall. The root ball was no more than 3 feet deep. But it was a sweet red-bud tree that we planted the year Bodhi was born, his placenta was buried in it's roots and like many of the trees in our neighborhood, it died (see this post to understand why) . I can't say that I mourned its death in a tangible way, rather it produced in me a sort of unnameable melancholy. I am a woman who loves the spring. I nearly live for it. When the first signs of life emerge like a haze of hope, I drink in green with the passion of a desert crawling woman sipping at an oasis. I gorge. This year has been hard. Our neighborhood isn't leafing out in native splendor, instead the tired trees seem to begrudge the effort, only offering a tender shoot or bud occasionally. The north side of many trees appear to have given up all together, too tired after a long winter...
Comments
A love story of the highest order; complete with images you cannot shake, no matter how hard you try, or want to...and a feeling of loss when the last page is turned. It's wonderful :)