RED
Bee balm, begonias, and fuchsias that hang
Star Lilies, raspberries, and rhubarb with tang
Sweet smelling roses
That turn into hips
Plump sliced tomatoes and watermelon drips
WHITE
Salal blooms, Snowberries, and Dogwood on trees
Trillium and Daisies make some people sneeze
Ice cream, fresh-churned,
With vanilla and cream
Sprinkled with strawberries that grow by the stream
BLUE
Hydrangeas, Hostas, and loud Steller's Jays
Forget-Me-Nots nodding and brightening the days
Blueberry cobbler
Fresh Blackberry pies
Fireworks that BANG! and flash in dark skies
A red and white tablecloth flaps in the breeze
In blue jeans with bluegrass we sip our iced teas
We value our freedom
(Though not all are free)
We honor our brave ones (is that you or me?)
While Ruby-Throated hummingbirds
buzz through the trees
Lupine fills sand dunes around local seas
We celebrate this land and should grateful be
It's a touchstone for the future - if we want it to be.
But the land that you are crossing over to occupy is a land of hills and valleys, watered by rain from the sky, a land that the LORD your God looks after. The eyes of the LORD your god are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. Deuteronomy 11:11-12
aaaaah...the color...feel...scents...of summer!
ReplyDeletelove your header ladybug!
Laura - yes, we finally do have summer here in the Pacific NW. You probably know this, but the flower on the header is a Bee Balm that I planted years ago by my back door. Here's some info. on it:
ReplyDeleteMonarda, commonly called bee balm or bergamot, is also known by the names oswego tea and horsemint. Bergarnot is native to North America and was used to make an infusion by the Oswego Indians, hence the name 'Oswego tea'. Oswego tea was embraced as a beverage by the early American settlers, who after the Boston tea party in 1773, boycotted Indian tea which was traded by the English.
Bergamot was identified in the sixteenth century by the Spanish medical botanist Nicolas de Monardes, whose name is used to identify this genus of plants. Bergamot gets its name from the similarity it has in aroma to the bergamot orange (Citrus bergamia). Oil of bergamot comes from the bergamot orange and is used to flavor Earl Grey tea.
For any who might be interested in this native plant and its uses there is MUCH more here:
http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/bergamot.html
Ya' gotta' love cyberspace - SO much info. out there!
Thanks for stopping by, Laura, & may the rest of your summer be sweet!!
DeleteTHE poetry was beautiful. I love flowers. Great blog...