Norman Rockwell Summers

"That beautiful season the Summer!
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light;
and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood."
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


"No price is set on the lavish summer;
June may be had by the poorest comer."
- James Russell Lowell

"What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise
of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade."
- Gertrude Jekyll,


I'll admit I am a Little partial to June. It is the month I came into this world. "They" say the month you are born is always your favorite Month. In my case it is true. I love warm weather and blackberries and the honeysuckle wind that blows through your hair while standing on the porch in the evening.... and all that comes with Early Summer. Warm Sunshine and fresh veggies from the garden and birds and bees everywhere. It is a busy time of life. Everything, both man and animal and all the insects are very busy in the early Summer. July and August will be too hot to do anything but lie around in the nearest swing or hammock in the shade and drink ice Tea. When I was a child, we were not allowed to go barefoot until June. I'm not sure why but that was the rule. Oh, how sweet was the feel of the cool earth beneath our hot little feet. By the end of Summer, the bottoms of our feet were so hard, we could have walked across a bed of nails and came out intact.

We played outside a lot in the Summer. All those lovely childhood games like "Crack the Whip" and I was always on the end being the youngest of all the kids in the neighborhood, Kick the can, Tag, Hide and Seek...It took me a while to realize this game was to get rid of me so they could do whatever older kids do when they don't want the little kids along with them. All that fresh air and Sunshine must have done us a world of good. We would sleep like babies.

I feel sorry for the kids today who stay inside and play video games or watch TV. They will never know the joys of playing outside in the evening and watching fireflies. Some of the mean boys would catch them and put them in a jar. Then they would take them to their bedrooms and have little nightlights. I always felt sorry for the little bugs and would help them escape every chance I got. I suppose it is too dangerous today to play outside at night. Such a pity!