Summer/winter

One Word Sunday: summer/winter

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #104: summer

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.”
― John Muir, The Mountains of California

“Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

Something for Saturday

Although autumn is quickly approaching with its neutral color palette, there are still pink, white, and purple flowers adorning the prairie, such as this echinacea/purple coneflower.  Soon there will be brightly colored leaves, but for now, we’ll enjoy the last of the summer flowers.

Do not go gentle

It may be September, but in the park, a plethora of rain and warmth has summer still in full bloom (or green.)

Weekly Photo Challenge (the original): Summer lovin’

Now I’ve got that song stuck in my head, thanks very much!!  “Summer loving had me a blast…” But grease isn’t the word here.  Just two photos of summer lovin’ past and present.  Hope you’re lovin’ your summer.

This summer…

Every summer…

Other interpretations…

Seduction

Seduction

Walking on concrete
Street noise attacking, then retreating.
Summer taps my arm.

“Look at me,” she whispers.
“I want to touch you.”

Sun’s heat
Lilacs’ sweet scent
Greens of every hue
Hidden, shaded stream emitting coolness
Unexpected flowers amidst tangled growth
Sun-bright yellows, flaunting reds, royal purples
Fuzzy cattail sausages on nature’s skewers
Deep azure skies

City noises clamor for attention.

“Aren’t you glad you came?” Summer asks,
Smiling,
Sublimely sure of her power.

Summer Heat–a haiku with photos

Apologies to anyone who read this on Poet’s Corner, but I wanted to share it with my friends here with the addition of several of my photos.  This poem my response to a challenge from Whimsy Mimsy (http://whimsymimsy.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/group-challenge-prompt-kind-o-thing/) to write a sensual or romantic poem using the words tea, twill, coalesce and plural.  I will repeat my annoyance that WordPress won’t allow formatting without a great deal of effort and a dark background, so my original formatting isn’t here.  Hopefully the content of the poem stands up to the loss.

Summer Heat

Twill sleeve
brushes my cheek
as I pour your tea.

Love and desire
coalesce like the condensation
on the china lips of the teacups
The plural heats of tea and summer
kiss you.

I follow their example
while the scent of jasmine
wafts gently through the still air.

Chill out…but not so much

I have a love-hate relationships with air conditioning.  These last hot, drought-filled days would have felt impossible without the coolness of the artificial air as well as being literally dangerous to the very young and very old. 

A little something

Pooh always liked a little something at eleven o’clock in the morning…Winnie the  Pooh, by A.A. Milne.

Spring marching inexorably towards summer

It’s been hotter than usual and it’s been colder than usual and there’s less rain than usual, but all my usual garden suspects are heading from spring to summer with beauty and grace.