How do we know summer is here? Sunset dinner on the front porch.
I sat out on our mail order Adirondack bench and thought, I want to remember every bit of this evening. I have never been more happy and content than sitting on my porch at sunset, watching the bugs over the lawn in the lowering sun while sipping a glass of wine or a well made cocktail.
How was our day? I called mom just as the sun set, while we were resting the grilled chicken and waiting for the beef dogs to finish on the bar-b-que. I recounted our day, and what is going on with plants and critters around our rural half acre set in eighty acres of Barlett and Anjou pears.
I wish I could give the sounds and scents of our little piece of heaven. The half moon gradually ascended over the eastern escarpment and became bright enough to cast shadows of our porch pillars and rail on the porch floor.
We lit citronella candles. The wind which had gusted up to twenty four miles an hour during the day to the delight of kite and board sailors and our local sail plane pilot, calmed to a whisper.
While it was still light, I butterflied an organic chicken and lathered it with a pineapple, bourbon sauce; I made meatloaf hamburgers filled with chopped capers, sweet onions, mustard, chili sauce, soy and Worcestershire sauces, beaten egg, and panko crumbs, with ground beef from our local farmer - wanting to take advantage of our coals. Our CSA farm had delivered so much that I sauteed garlic and onion in olive oil then added finely chopped basil and cilantro to beet greens, mustard greens and other early greens. As they wilted, I added a bit of vermouth and rice wine vinegar to pique the flavors.
The CSA salad was a mix of abundant lettuces, spring onions and blanched broccoli, and cauliflower tossed with red wine vinaigrette.
Earlier, our neighbors sang and called responses in Spanish, to the squeals of delight of many visiting kids and young ones. Then all was quiet as they headed for church.
My preparations complete, chicken crisped on its back and turned over to cook for about an hour, I made my newly discovered summer Sidecar and called mom. As I talked with her, I could look through the entire front room of our home directly at Mt. Adams in the last glow of the sun from below the western horizon. I saw bats working on the north side of the house, clearly visible against the now egg shell blue of the waning late sky.
I told mom about the swallow family which we rudely evicted to take off the old roofing and to put down the new light colored shingles.
Making sure there were yet no eggs we gave the go ahead to take out the dormer nest. To our relief, once the roofers departed, the swallows returned, rebuilt their nest and laid eggs.
The babies are now five days old and peeping away, especially when a parent comes in with some good bugs.
We are alert to alarm calls from the Swallow parents about the perennial attacks by Starlings on either their eggs or young nestlings. We bang walls, windows and today watched a squirrel charge the bullies of the neighborhood as they tried to take a young swallow for lunch. No harm done, as the nest was successfully defended by all.
The Western Wood PeeWee screeches all day long as he launches from a naked branch at an unlucky insect. If we are close enough we can hear his beak click shut over the snack he just caught. We always know where he is, as he never stops calling out his location.
We heard an owl hoot for more than an hour last evening as we caught up on the latest Tour de France stage, filled with crashes. Ugh.
The coyote pack howls if a fire station sounds its siren, and at night yip and call when food is brought in. They have traveled so close to the house we have heard their footfalls and breathing on summer nights.
Our Bullock's Oriels attempted their fourth nesting season but were thwarted by very cold late rain and wind. So we have not seen them for a couple of weeks. Nor have we seen the unusual nesting high mountain Stellars Jays. Rufous Hummingbirds are launching young and males are seen chasing Goldfinch and Swallows away from favorite perches.
Our fifteen year old cedar deck got yet one more scrubbing and new stain by our daughter and a pal while we were away. We added a second coat on a perfect summer day today. Regina walked across the newly refreshed boards, leaving not a paw print this evening.
What can we smell besides dinner on the grill? The early lilacs and native heavily scented Salomon's Seal have bloomed.
Peonies are on the wane. The yard is saturated with the intoxicating scent of Mock Orange. Our climbing Rose is at its peak bloom and our first Barbara Bush tea Rose, a gift from and long lost Massachusetts roommate, is making its entrance next to the front porch step, both filling the area under the porch roof with their own saturating signatures.
Our dinner by moonlight and candlelight is serenaded quietly by Kenny Barron.
Mom cannot remember that we visited last week and took her for a ride in her new wheel chair, out under firs where she heard Towhees and Robins and saw butterflies. But she knew someone had taken her for a ride outside.
She did remember going to Mass this evening in her wheel chair with my sister. And she hopes that the next time we take her for a ride she will remember the trip.
But she chuckles when I tell her about the Kit House, and how it is coming along. She loves hearing about the birds and the flowers. I fill her in on dinner preparations and the colored glow on the mountains. A slice of life at our little farmette.
A quiet, I love you mom, and her reply, "I love you more". Then night, night, and I fix our plates for dinner on our porch.
What could be better.
UPDATE: Community Spotlight? Well then, I should try adding a few photos. I wish we had smell-o-webz. Thank you.