Friday Musings

Praise the Lord, the weather has improved a bit over the last several days. It's still hovering around 90*F for our highs, but the mornings have been cooler, down into the lower to mid-60's. Still no rain, but I'll take the cooler temps, thank you very muchly.

This morning after Emmy's morning bottle, diaper change and nap, I took her out on our back porch to sit for a while. I say porch, but it's really only a concrete slab with the heat/AC unit and the grill sitting on it and a 4-foot overhang for a little shade.

It was a balmy 80* and there was a nice fluttery breeze teasing our cheeks and tousling our hair. With the cooler temperatures came some drier air and it's a lot less humid today. I think I actually caught just a hint of Fall in the air for the first time this year. Just a slight foreshadowing that Summer is losing it's torrid steamy grip and Fall's kinder, gentler weather is not too far off.

The falling leaves made it seem even more Fall-like, but that's a bit deceptive. The prolonged severe drought we've been experiencing this Summer has stressed the trees so much that they're dropping their leaves prematurely. Some trees are almost totally denuded of leaves, adding to the illusion that Fall is already here. I expect any day to be greeted with the smell of burning leaves when I venture outside, a sure sign that Fall is imminent or in progress.

As Emmy and I sat there, I just soaked in all the sights, sounds and just the "feel" of this near perfect morning. Emmy's head was on a swivel as she absorbed all the new things she'd never seen or heard before.

Wildlife of all sorts was present in abundance. I counted 34 butterflies and 16 hummingbirds in the short time we were outside. Of course, given their flitting to and fro habits, I'm sure I counted the same specimens more than once. I even saw a monarch butterfly, more than likely on its way south to overwinter in Mexico.

Many different varieties of birds flew and fluttered around us along with the hummingbirds. I saw several mourning doves and starlings, as well as countless common sparrows. I heard a blue jay and a mocking bird, and the soft cooing of the doves. I saw a goldfinch visit a neighbor's empty feeder and felt so sorry for it that there was nothing there for it to eat.

I saw a battle scarred grey tabby tomcat as he padded soundlessly through the dry grass to lounge in the shade under a neighbor's parked car. I wondered if whatever he'd been fighting for had been worth the pain and the scars.

I sat there, Emmy a sweet weight in my arms as she dozed off to sleep, my cheek on her downy head, the scent of her baby lotion and just sweet baby in my nostrils. The drifting breeze carried the smell of sun-warmed summer grass and just that subtle, merest hint of Fall.

I savored every sight, scent and sound of that moment, frozen forever in my memory. Just for that instant, all was right in our world, baby Emmy and me. We are blessed indeed.

I hope your day has been as good as mine so far. Y'all have a great Friday and a safe and happy Labor Day Weekend.