Mid-June is here. The planting is done, including the row of begonias in the back garden. They provide a welcome splash of red and white to go along with all the green. The begonias will bloom from now until the first hard frost hits. They never get leggy; they always look good. Begonias are not showy flowers, but they are perfect for the backyard, which is part sun/part shade.

The days are long—it’s not dark until nearly 9:00 p.m.—and last Saturday the night was warm enough for us to sit on the patio until late into the evening. Here is the view from inside the gazebo, looking out into the garden at dusk.

As the darkness settled around us, we heard a wood thrush’s song, one of the benefits of living by the edge of the woods. What a treat it is to hear that beautiful song.

Slowly, our solar lights came on, and my favorite is the glowing moon.

More darkness, and then there were fireflies, little points of fairy lights blinking on and off, on and off.

An enchanting evening, and how lucky we feel to have all of this in our very own backyard.

***********************************************************************

Listening

Johnny Blue Skies & The Dark Clouds: Situation

Yesterday, as Clif and I were coming home from doing errands, I heard the song “Situation” on the radio. The song’s rock/funk sound immediately drew me in. But who, I wondered, are Johnny Blue Skies & The Dark Cloud? I had never heard them or the song before.

Turns out that Johnny Blue Skies is the alter ego of the country singer Sturgill Simpson, who apparently wanted to branch out and try something completely different. And The Dark Clouds is his band.

The official video is a lot of fun, beginning with Dr. Johnny Fever from the delightful 1970’s television sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. From there, the video goes to dancers—some real, some not—from around the world. It seems to me that, without being preachy, Simpson illustrates how dance and music unite us, regardless of culture.

But watch and listen for yourselves. And if your knees are limber enough—mine certainly aren’t—go ahead and groove to the music.