Summer Solstice and Our Little Garden

Today is the first official day of summer, Summer Solstice 2011. Here are some summer solstice poems I like:

  ''It is summer, it is the solstice
the crowd is

cheering, the crowd is laughing
in detail

permanently, seriously
without thought''

William Carlos Williams (1883-1963), U.S. poet. At the Ball Game (l. 31-36). . . Oxford Book of American Verse, The. F. O. Matthiessen, ed. (1950)...


On The Roofdeck

The lonely, grated metal table starts the day,
an adjustment is made to apprehend
that the other chairs are empty. The June morning
beautiful and still to be, should woo me with
its early luminescence. Yet
the appetite is not shared, lost somewhere in memory.

How lucky the horizon is blue and needs
no handwriting on its emptiness. I am
written on thoroughly, a plagiarized novel
found again. I remember the predictable plot too late, realize the silly, sad urgency of my plight.

'Do you always watch for the longest day of the year
and then miss it?

I always watch for the longest day in the year
and then miss it.'

poem I found online by Gary Freeman

Today was one of those off days, think it got to 80 and I enjoyed it, went for a run with Phil in the early evening, I pulled a few weeds in the garden, let our cat out in the backyard to do her dusk dithering. We ate Veggie Korma for dinner again (I used organic pasta sauce instead of tomato sauce and organic heavy whipping cream, red or yukon gold potatoes and this time almonds instead of cashews but both are yum) topped with fresh cilantro from our herb garden - such a treat especially if you want to take a break from meat. Then I watered the garden only a little since it rained yesterday and then completely forgot to watch the sun set. I think it was 10 minutes after 9pm though that I noticed it still wasn't completely dark so it must have just set.

So far I've used cilantro from our garden for the Korma, and hopefully for a pico de gallo soon, and mint to make Mojitos (with organic sugar is best and fresh squeezed lime juice, I used Ron Rico Caribbean rum, not bad), rosemary on potatoes and basil and the Italian parsley for a home made pasta sauce. I am meaning to make a cat nip tea the next time I have a head ache and a chicken mint recipe soon. Here is a page with gardening tips, for those who are interested. We added organic compost to the soil before planting but I still feel like a gardening novice. I am hoping for some tomatoes, strawberries, squash, green beans, blueberries, cucumber, peppers, carrots and sunflowers (the lettuce already died) sometime this summer. If anyone wants to trade their seeds or recipes with me let me know.