August plans

It begins slowly, a furtive glance to the side of the road. Then we begin assessing the amount of water the roots would get and whether there’s enough sunlight to ripen them. Perhaps that spot has already been picked over since there’s a gravel turnout, but on the other side of the road, there are probably more.

We make sure there’s ice cream—only the best vanilla—in the freezer, just in case. U-pick signs for blueberries remind us of those great black & blue preserves we put up a few years back. It was a great combination, the rich purple and the tart blue working together to stain our tongues and toast when it’s chilly.

And just like a good batch, a plan gels: if we leave an hour early for our carpool pickup today, we could get plenty along the mill pond road for at least one batch of jam and a cobbler. The next day we could do the same thing with blueberries, maybe even freeze a few for winter waffles.

We throw a few buckets, a bottle or two of water and a grubby towel in the car. Long sleeves and sunhats are de rigueur. We’re going to need them.

Doldrums

If this last week had been a Shakespearian play, it would have been the comic relief provided by the rustics; it would have been the bridge in a pop single; or the quiet chapters where Harry, Hermione and Ron land at Shell Cottage to regroup. It is not really summer but not yet fall, neither warm and sunny nor cold and rainy. Indeed, the temperature has not varied much from day to night, leaving the weather pundits to tell us that we are average, but we note our tans are already fading.

So it was with glee that we noticed a strong shaft of sunlight pouring across the breakfast table this morning. One last hurrah of summer, we think, as we coax Little One out of bed for the long trek to day camp on the farm. He sees the sun and tells me he needs no breakfast, for he is sure they will make popsicles on such a fine day.

We’ll indulge in a bit more summer, picking berries, arts in the park, camping, and even a trek down to Gramma, who has real summer where she lives. Soon enough, we will start back to setting alarms, packing lunches and getting out the door on time. Just not quite yet.