Good morning, and happy Tuesday!  I was up early this morning to check out the damage in our yard from last night's unexpected thunderstorm.  From our bedroom window at midnight we could see our patio umbrella sailing through the air and a tremendous thump let us know that our patio table had also taken flight.  But this morning I was delighted to see that both umbrella and table had survived the storm, although the table, now upside down, cushioned its fall and saved the glass top by landing on a now defunct pot of geraniums.  What a strange summer this has been!

With July slipping into August, my thoughts turn to happy memories of county and state fairs.  I always loved visiting my cousins in Indiana and admiring all their 4-H ribbons at the county fair, and our family's trip to the State Fair in South Dakota each year was always a highlight!  How I loved the beautiful Swiss cows and their soulful eyes, the intricate needlework displays and the rows of gleaming jellies and jams.  In honor of my agricultural roots, here's a poem by Walt Whitman to greet the day:

A Farm Picture

Walt Whitman

Through the ample open door of the peaceful country barn,

A sunlit pasture filled with cattle and horses feeding,

And haze and vista, and the far horizon fading away.



Field of hay, Cades Cove, Tennessee