Come, September

Dear Maria,

Yes, I am still a sucker for turning the calendar’s page to a new month. The start of something, some kind of beginning. We all seem to duly note new years, new months, new weeks, new days. Around here, of course, we spent most of the summer yapping about the rain. August gave us but just shy of 6” here in Ladson. Dry month.

Now the roses reach aggressively as the sun’s angled light drops a little lower with each passing day. The lantana, nearly drowned and of late mildewing, are suddenly back to life and should be carrying yellow flowers again by the end of the week. Gardenias managed two blooms last week, and maybe some more of those white flowers will come along.

Should the weather cool down a bit, we will all pick up our steps. Funny how school and football have come calling—and asking for so much energy—before we are refreshed. That fall should be called refreshing is nicely ironic—yes, yes, still always with the irony. Hahahaha!

This morning at breakfast in the garden I was joined by a much greater number of birds flying about and riding the branches overhead than has been the case all summer. More telling, perhaps, the morning flock of geese instead of flying west to east, as they have the past two months, today were headed southwest by my reckoning. That they were the same flock of birds, I honestly cannot say.

So a new month is set before us. I am grown of late especially fond of saying “Didn’t see that coming”. I do have some sense that I will take on some larger projects around the yard, but beyond that I do not know. Oh, some writing and reading, too.

At least, today is arrived, and tomorrow—well, I will turn that page when I awake. Here’s to the first days of the months. To a sense of beginnings. Even old April 1st—maybe especially so, hahaha!

Hope this quick note finds you in good spirits. As ever, srk