A Summer Evening on the Porch

Perhaps you would say my needs are a bit too simple. Then so be it. Last evening my husband and I took our books and placed ourselves in comfy spots on our back porch. I had a chilled glass of my favorite Barefoot Zinfandel, my husband his JD and coke.

The air was redolent with the summery smell of fresh-cut grass and Royal Velvet deep purple petunias. It was that time of day when the sun had sunk low enough to to relieve us of a scorching, but still provide helpful light for reading. It was warm, but not steamy. The occasional breeze set the leaves and shrubs and plants to dancing a bit with no need for music.

As I glided on my porch swing, my eyes and mind wandered from my book, to enjoy the small but special sights provided by Nature. A hummingbird zips by tasting bits of this and that, then dashing quickly on, no time for chit chat. Bumble bees seem in no rush as they sample the parts they enjoy on tiny purple flowers of coleus. The ever-present wasps, scary but apparently not interested in threatening us this evening, bounce and weave around the beams of the porch ceiling.

A tiny group of sparrows sit on the cedar fence and quietly discuss the day's events. Usually in an argumentative mood, they are content to speak in hushed tones. I hear crows in the high trees across the way, but they too, are keeping voices to low and amiable levels. Several butterflies drift through the back yard, here and there, off and on, floating up and then back down, settling on a brown-eyed susan, then a hydrangea bloom and on to the next appealing spot.

I think about other summer evenings, from long ago and far away. Pleasant thoughts occur and I swing and glide, breathing deeply of the soft, warm air.  Peaceful and content for the moment.

A simple, soft serene evening on the porch. What more could I need or want?