.....august riches

 

Yogis,
It happens every year. Once August wraps her arms around me, I feel called to write about her! I love May, June and July with their long days, brilliant sun, festive celebrations and rainbows of color, but there is something so rich about August that deserves pen to be put to paper.

The arrival of August, to me, has always been bittersweet. Much of the garden has already reached its peak, with yellow tinged leaves beginning to show through the mass of green. Flowers of lavender, bergamot and motherwort drying on their now leggy stalks as the days become noticeably shorter. The trees releasing their first leaves as a reminder of what is to come.

Yet then I remember.

All of the work has been done. The hours of labor through spring and summer to prepare the garden, sowing of seeds and tending to plants is complete. Daily watering now shifts to every few days as the morning dew keeps the ground moist. It’s time to take off the garden gloves and pause. August offers an invitation to sit, relax and relish the garden.

The animals feel the shift. Birdhouses sit empty as the babies have all flown off, giving the parents a new found freedom. The foxes, no longer having to hunt to feed multiple kits every hour on the hour, once again saunter down the street. The owl who held court behind our house in the spring has returned. 

The yellow finches, like clockwork, begin arriving to eat the seeds of flower heads which sit perched on tall skinny stalks. Hanging on for dear life with their tiny feet as the stems sway wildly from side to side.  I remember that the blast of color from the late blooming goldenrod is still to come and the flavor of the ripe peaches, cucumbers, corn and tomatoes makes any of us a star in the kitchen.

Finally. I cannot mention the word August without asking you to listen for one of nature’s most comforting sounds. The hum of the late summer insects. One orchestra plays throughout the day, while another picks up at sunset and serenades us as we sit under the stars and accompanies our dreams. Not a sound to listen to, but to immerse yourself in. Lying back and allowing your vibration to join theirs.

I must admit that while the suddenly cool evenings sprinkled amongst the warm ones provides a sudden sense of reprieve from the heat, memories do flood in and the bittersweet returns. But then again I remember…….

Embraced by August,
SARAH