Fresh Peaches and Summer Sunflowers

I used to hate the long, hot dog days of August.  They seemed to drone on and on, smelling of acrid forest fires with no break in the monotony of the weather.  One of the things I love most about where we live are the four seasons, and it seems if we get stuck in one season for too long, I feel trapped with the boredom.

One of the amazing things that happens as we get older is that time does not drone on and on anymore - - it flits as quickly as a gnat being chased by a hungry hen.  As we move quickly through these days, it’s imperative to define what we love most and share in their simplicity.  Two of my favorite parts of summer show up in August . . . fresh peaches and summer sunflowers.  

Today, we went to the u-pick orchard, Sugar Plum Orchards, and picked 67 pounds of fat, juicy peaches.  My husband kept asking what I would make when I got home.  I said, “Nothing. . . I’m just gonna eat em.”  They are splendid. 

Throughout the summer, I’ve been watching a volunteer sunflower smack dab in the middle of my little plot at the community gardens.  It’s gorgeous and tall -- faithfully following the sun.  With its amber chin upturned, it protectively watches over my kale, broccoli, and tomatoes.

What makes you smile during the dog days of August?