Honeysuckle Summer
In case you haven't noticed, the honeysuckle is in bloom. It's probably my favorite smell of all time. I'm really glad I'm not allergic to it.
My lane used to be lined with a wall of the yellow & white blossums (and an occasional pink), until the county took the road over and cleared it all out. Now, it's growing back in a much more civilized form, providing a heavenly scent for my morning and evening walks with the dogs.
This morning at church, one of the retired teachers said that the smell of honeysuckle always signaled the end of school for her. I agree - honeysuckle and strawberries are a sure sign that it's May.
Honeysuckle was one of those things we never saw in the years we lived in Alaska. I missed it, while my husband was missing Leon's barbecues...What a practical man he was!
I was teaching a class in Fairbanks one day, in that new part of the building, where there were no windows - and I smelled honeysuckle! I had to stop the class and sniff it out! Low and behold, a student was wearing honeysuckle perfume! I got so homesick, I could hardly go on with class.
The scent is an evocative smell, filled with memories. I think when I die, I'll ask for vases and vases of honeysuckle at the funeral. If my sister-in-law outlives me, she won't be able to come, since she's allergic to it, but maybe she could wear a mask...
Honeysuckle, strawberries, lightning bugs, whippoorwills, and frogs...I love May and June!
I'm sad tonight, despite the presense of summer and sunshine and honeysuckle. When I went down to the pen to feed my few remaining goats, I found Patsy, my little house goat, much worse, and I know that I'll have to make that dreaded decision soon, probably this week. The vet says she has "nerve damage," possibly caused by being picked on by the aggressive females that I sold several months ago. Whatever the reason, she's become progressively crippled. She's been a big part of my life for three years. When she was little, she walked with us on the lane - me, Patsy, my three dogs, and my cat. Those were happy times.
It always seems so strange for the birds to sing and life to go on, even when we're mourning the loss of someone or something we love.
Well, it IS summer and a time for us to enjoy the beauty around us. Take a whiff of the honeysuckle and save it up for those dark days of winter that come all too soon!
From the sweet-smelling hills of Tillman, Missouri, this is your sentimental rural journalist, Madeline, signing off on a most lovely June evening in 2008.
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