The Saturday of Summer

l love us in July,

the Saturday of summer.
Getting caught up in magic and cosmos,
killing time like it doesn't exist.
If being this carefree is a crime
then I guess we'll be locked up forever.

We sit in cars with slushies and show tunes.
Can't believe that I've never been happier.
These feelings are engraved
and they've found a home in me.
These years were the little things
that made me love life.

Daisy Marrow

All photos by Diane Moline.

I love tending the flowers in the garden. Honestly, is there anything else nature provides that gives us so much naked pleasure?

For all of those who are drawn to color and its favorite daughter, the flower, the hues of a summer garden tantalize. I like to sit with my book right in the middle of all the color.

And yet, the shapes, the fragrances, the promise of buds are equally mesmerizing, don’t you agree? So today, I used these flowers to play with them in black and white. Without color, the flower remains magnificent.

I used an app called BeFunky, which gave me lots of ways to render in black and white.

And here they are in their natural glory, each one a smile on mankind. God knows we need it.

Finally, I woke this First-of-July morning to summer haiku on NPR. A perfect way to start the month. Here are some favorites. The rest are here.

Finally — green grass
For acrobats and laughter
Somersaulting glee.
—Mary Soufi, California

Up early to walk
Along the murmuring brook
Where green leaves whisper.
—Kathy Quimby Johnson, Vermont 

Neighborhood hydrant 
sprinkling water in the air 
cools my child's warm skin
—Lisa Manting, New York