July 1, 2008
LIFE. . . early morning sunlight on the grasses turning their tops to silver and gold. . . meadow lark songs mixing with those of robins, red-winged blackbirds, catbirds, cardinal and red breasted grosbeak as the day begins. . .a doe and two fawn walking away down the hill from the forest, grazing on new corn. . . Alphie in the path next to the high grasses waiting for me to catch up. . . frogs singing in the pond while dragonflies skim the surface. . .a bright orange and black oriole singing its delight at the ready feast of mulberries in the trees. . . back to the house for a breakfast, prepared by Charles, and eaten on the porch . . . drinking strong coffee and doing the Jumble and the daily crossword together before commencing into the daily activities. . Our summer days begin in this way with some small variation, and that is why I am so thankful for the experience and why I don’t want it to end.
In the corner of our second story entrance to the house, barn swallows have built their cup sized nest right next to the front door. Because these birds eat countless numbers of insects, including the dread mosquito, we feel that their presence improves the neighborhood, and we put newspaper down below the nest to catch the droppings. We named the pair Claude and Maude, and when we come out the door to settle into the screened porch area, both birds fly about scolding loudly because now the little nest has five tiny residents. At the sounds of the parental agitation, the baby birds all hunker down, and you can’t see them over the edge, but as soon as it is deemed safe, the parents come with their beaks full of bugs and commence to shovel them down the very large mouths of their offspring.
The town of Seward is preparing for its huge 4th of July celebration so flags and buntings are already displayed on streets and houses. Politicians will walk in the parade this year; candy and Frisbees will be dispensed to the crowds lining the route, and numerous Czech queens will ride past in convertibles of all shapes and sizes. The parade usually goes on for over an hour, and everyone is generally pleased with the event. Literally thousands of guests arrive in the morning and activities go on from dawn until the last fireworks display fades into the evening darkness at about ten PM. Civic pride peaks on this day, so every lawn in town will have been mowed and trimmed and the local folk will exude warmth and generosity of spirit throughout. They will get up early on July 5 to clean up the debris left behind without complaint, and they will rehash the celebration with pleasure. It has been this way for as long as I can remember living here.