Things are finally heating up to more normal temperatures for the time of year, still frequently without the obvious ever-presence of the sun but who complains about that when it’s boiling anyway and clouds do offer a welcome shelter on these Dog Days, traditionally from July 20 to August 20 and the warmest days of summer as I tried to explain unsuccessfully to our Young Mec, who we consciously raised to embrace a life where every day is a Dog Day, revolving around fun things to do with and for him, though we still need to clarify the meaning of the word fun more specifically to him in order to avoid regular recurring unwanted discomfort. Our discomfort that is, obviously.
If it wasn’t for his infectious enthusiasm and unbridled energy, the hulking urgency in all that he’s constantly engaging himself in, this interminable period of torrential rains that at long last this morning caused me to destroy all of our tomato plants, dramatically fallen prey to the Phytophthora mold or Early Blight, unavoidable because of these depressing wet circumstances but a tragic activity by all means, would have been so much harder to tolerate.
Without his pressing presence, we’d probably still be dormant in gloomy hibernation and have given up impatiently on summer all together.
A brisk tour of our p’tit domaine however, for orientation and grounding purposes, reveals an opposite story, a chronicle of control and a fitting reach, alive and moving, forward and inwards. Yes, there’s a lot we continue to wish for, a lot of important intentions and visions not yet materialized, no surprises there, but the push forward we have already taken is so recognizably personal it fits us all, dreamers and doers, cats and dog, like a glove, no matter the conditions that alternately surface. The tree I were to be, roots extending, has clearly gotten a few more branches, seemingly more like pliant willow stems.
The winding road leading to our fairytale journey’s end makes a sharp turn, postponing its reveal and views beyond until the last minute every single time. Even after just doing some grocery shopping, lost in thought, my heart never forgets to skip a beat, in fortunate disbelief.
