It's June. Tonight we feasted on pesto made from basil from the garden, basil that was mere specks of black seeds just a couple of months ago. We ate snowpeas, now climbing to the sky. We ate radishes--pink ones, purple ones, white ones, red ones--riotous rainbows resting in the earth.
Our battle with the Arnes of the world matter, and I am not ceding anything tonight. But I am enjoying a soft June dusk, honeysuckle in the air, belly full of food that erupted from the earth because I spent a few moments putting seeds in the ground.
I'll watch the sun set. I'll play a wooden flute. I'll sing. I might dance, I might not. The lightning bugs will be here any day now. It's June.
Light drives us. Light is finite. We are mortal. A lightning bug blinks in the dusk.
Light, and dirt, and water, and air keep us alive. None of my students need Arne Duncan's nonsense. They need a piece of land, unadulterated air and water, and enough vision to know what they do today will affect their yet unborn children.
If our children can pass tests better than they can plant peas, we have failed as parents, as teachers, as humans. If Arne and Bill and Mike and Eli represent the pinnacle of our culture, then I don't want a part of it.
I believe those of us who dance to what's true will prevail. But if we don't, at least we had a reason to dance. And so we did.
Pictures from the front yard.
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Sam and I sat on the back porch Friday evening, glass of wine in hand, and watched the bats dance over our heads. Our neighbors were hosting a gathering of bassoon students from the university, and they were playing something lovely and complex.
And the garden grows. We have only harvested greens so far, but the garden is "issuing joyous leaves of dark green" and we are poised to harvest.
June is welcome.
I thought of you this morning as I rode my bike in the tri and found myself smelling honeysuckle again and again. Somehow it made the riding easier and more enjoyable. A lesson I needed right now.
Dear Kate,
Sounds like a lovely start to June. We ran out of last years pesto two weeks ago, got our first batch last week.
Outside in June makes this whole thing makes sense.
Dear Jenny,
I hope that didn't affect your time too much, and if it did, I hope you didn't care...
(I never saw a tri before--hokey smokes!)
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