August I

Here's how August has been, so far.

Refrigerator thermometers and hopeful ignorance, the old lie: “I think it’s getting better.” Tying up many projects at once, tech support calls and coaching (“say this”) and revisions. New ideas simmering gently in the background.

Fresh Ontario peaches in bowl rimmed in stripes of a summer day: the sky’s clear blue, the sun’s mid morning gold, and the green of mature birch leaves.

Realistic purchases on unrealistic timelines. Stopgap measures, making do, gratitude for the ability to buy a temporary fix at a hardware store. A dry well, and other season-based solutions.

Planning for future delights. A trip into new/old/familiar territory, reuniting with family. A side quest to explore a world of spice, special mixes for future delights.

Return, but on a different schedule. Moments bottling the new ideas that have simmered for weeks. Afternoon snacks at Pleasant Time.

Scheduled deliveries, more customer service conversations. A new refrigerator—new appreciation for life’s technological support.

A long interview with an interested listener. Wild local blueberries among the peaches and baked into a buckle. More boxed and frozen against a future drought year.

And now, a last look and final conversation with an old friend. After this, a different type of August.

I hope you're having an August you enjoy.