~ JULY ~

The summer harvest day begun

With cloudless dawn and flaming sun;

Ripe grain the sickle flashes through;

The sweep of scythes in morning dew;

The nooning underneath the trees

Made cool by sea or mountain breeze;

The thundershower, the clearing sky,

And sunset splendor of July !

This poem reminds me of the summer days my sister Sandra and I would spend on the farm with our grandmother. We would go up to the farm in northern Minnesota when Dad was stationed at different air bases. I can remember the times when the grain was cut, loaded on trailers pulled by horses, and riding to the farms in the surrounding area. This was such a fun time. At noontime, the cooks would have huge dinners and the food was yummy.

Grandma always made sure my sister and I did our chores, pulled weeds, and fed the chickens. These are memories I go back to now. The days were always full of fun things to do, lots of work, and then at the end of a day, Grandma always made her wonderful meals. She was from Germany and was a wonderful cook and pastry maker. To this day, I can still "taste" some of her goodies !! Yum...I have often heard that childhood memories stay with us throughout our lives. I am thankful I have such good ones.