Lairë

I apologize for not posting for so long--we were preparing for a long car trip and then were en route/in Kentucky until just this afternoon.

Written June 7, 2008


Well summertime is here again in Texas--full force--with all its beauty and misery. :P


Everything is blooming, and has been for about a month now. Our towering palm trees are nearly always moving, rustling in the gentle breeze, dropping their last few blossoms along the rocks and into the pool. The beautiful crepe myrtle branches have been painted with white and all various shades of pink and purple; when the wind blows it seems to catch up the tiny flowers like snowflake flurries--especially during a thunderstorm, when they flow and skitter across the crepe myrtle-lined driveway. The small, dark purple flowers of the Mexican Heather are appearing, as are those of the lighter shaded Lilies of the Nile. The Day Lilies, too, are adding their color to the summer landscape, with tints of yellow, red, purple, and orange. The hibiscus, the Oleanders with their lovely cherry scent, and oh! the fruit trees! Their blossoms smell absolutely heavenly--lemon, grapefruit, lime, peach, apple, pear...*sigh*


My dad's garden is well on its way--we have fresh tomatoes, corn, and peppers (bell and jalapeno), and will soon have watermelon, cantaloupe, beans, and cucumbers. Our herb garden is also providing fresh basil, rosemary, oregano, chives, peppermint, and lavender. :)


The sun is usually peeking its head over the horizon by about 6:30 these days, and doesn't disappear in the west until around eight in the evening. And oh! does the sun take advantage of its full trek across the sky--by 10 in the morning it can be 90 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 32-38 degrees Celsius). The humidity can make it so "sticky" that you almost feel like you're suffocating if you step outside. Thankfully there has been a fairly constant light wind lately--I notice the trees in a nearly endless dance most the day. Sometimes whirling around gaily, and sometimes just barely touching fingers, but always moving. I love hearing the wind play the first 6 notes of 'Amazing Grace' as it brushes past the wind chime hanging on the back porch.


It's quite strange, really. When I began writing this post, I thought I'd have much more ranting about the heat, humidity, mosquitoes, and the things that make summer miserable, but instead I've gone on and on about how gorgeous it is. I suppose that I like summer more than I thought I did (though the heat and humidity is still a damper on my enthusiasm for it. ;) ). Do you ever feel, with all the beauty around you, this deep soul-longing?


Well, now that I have rambled on and on about basically nothing...Hmm. What shall I do to redeem this post slightly?


Listen to 'Sunny Days' by Jars of Clay. It's probably my favorite song of that band to date.


'Summer Again' by The Afters is beautiful--look it up if you haven't.


And a random fact of the day: Lairë is the Quenya Elvish word for 'summer.' And I love the Elvish language. Wait, that's two random facts. No it isn't. The second one isn't random--it relates to the first. Hang on. That means that the first one isn't random, now, doesn't it? I'm confusing you, aren't I? I've been on a fast for 9 days now, so I'm entitled to be a little confusing at the moment. There. That's three...semi-random...facts for you. And I bet those will trigger as much conversation as the entire above post. (If there's any conversation at all.)


Enjoy the break from "serious" posts...it won't last long, I'm sure.

Smile--it's contagious. :) God bless.