8.3

solidago 

When you're retired, it's easy to blissfully move through the days of summer without being conscious of the calendar. Then all of a sudden something catches your eye in the garden and you realize time is rolling out ahead of you.

As if waking from a sleepwalk through June and July, I've shaken off the mental fog and with the arrival of August have renewed my habit of daily property walk-abouts so as not to miss anything. So much out here is fleeting.

What is that bit of yellow over there? 

The very first of the goldenrod blooms are calling. Easy to ignore just because they are so common. 

Standing tall in the chicken yard, 

nodding in our preserved wild meadow, along the roadside, and occasionally in the south border. 

Once noticed they all at once seem to be everywhere. 

With their arrival my heart knows the oppressiveness of summer is losing its grip. 

Even before their pyramidal flowers morph from green to yellow I must have them indoors. Their joyous yellows will add dimension to every bouquet from now til September.

Did I mention how much I love these??

She carries with her medicinal benefits and the ability to transfer her sunny hues. But just keeping me company is enough.