Tonight

Damp, green grass clippings cling to my cold and clammy feet. The evening dew has set in, a sure sign that summer is nearing it's end. It wasn't hot today - sure, it was hot in the sun while I was sanding away at the old drop-leaf table I'm working on, but sitting still, or in the shade, it wasn't a hot day. It was a lovely day. I even wondered if I should put Gavin in long pants when we went outside this evening. I was in jeans and a tank top, but the ground was chilly on my bare feet. While Gavin played in his sandbox, climbed on our big rocks, and ran around the yard with Drake trotting after him, I made the rounds... picking up from the weekend. I filled the hummingbird feeders, transplanted that hosta that I had moved into the center of the walkway when I thought we were getting rid of the walkway, I washed out and refilled the bird baths, watered the potted plants, coiled up and put away the hose, put Gavin's ride-on toys and lawn mower away, pulled the shed doors closed, and put away the sander, tack-cloth, brushes, primer and paint from my afternoon painting project. As I walked through the yard, I could hear the bugs and the frogs and toads beginning to sing their nightly chorus. It reminds me of my parents' house - the way the turtles and frogs in their ponds would sing me to sleep every night, all summer long, the cool summer night air floating in through the open windows. This is a night like to many I remember. As I made my way through the cold wet grass out to the mailbox to check for yesterday's mail and paper, my feet were slowly becoming numb to the pokes of sticks and thistles in the yard and the gravel of the driveway out near the mailbox. I could feel the dampness settling on the skin of my arms and I wished I had another layer on, something on my arms. The sky was almost completely dark now, Gavin had gone in the house with Cliff when he got home, and I was completely absorbed by the cool night air, the wet grass sticking to my feet, the darkness setting in. The warm light from the kitchen window glowed orange as I made my way back up to the house. I wiped my feet on the rug and felt the warmth of the house instantly envelope me. It seems hot summer nights are going to be fewer and chilly nights like this will soon be more common. It was a beautiful summer, a hot, beautiful summer.