the lilting rhythm of lazy august days

i love summers in alabama, fool that i am.  it is hot here - and when i say hot, that is no polite exaggeration:  temperatures daily reach the mid 90's, with a humidity level that does not permit evaporation of sweat, of salt.  my parents do not use their air conditioning.  seriously.  they have a beautiful, huge house on seven wooded acres, built from architectural antiques that daddy salvaged with his wrecking business when the interstate came through montgomery so many years ago.  old southern homes were torn down, places filled with wide heart pine floor boards, stained glass, paneled wainscoting, thick wooden doors, fancy brass door knobs and hinges.  nothing in this house is plain, except for the windows that, come spring, are flung wide to the elements of wind and rain and to the chattering sounds of birds and squirrels.  ceiling fans are in every room - old heavy bodied iron ones that kick up a good steady breeze and keep the sweat at bay (provided one parks herself directly under and does not move).  most times i love the open air, and when home in the mountains, i leave all doors and windows open until fall evenings find me reluctantly walking about closing them, one by one.  but the sounds of august here are sweet:  cicadas' calls that rise and fall in perfect orchestration, birds that flit and swoop from branch to branch just beyond the house, and owls that call back and forth to one another in the deep, dark velvet night. my friend inge, in belgium, wrote when i posted the image of the newly hatched cicada some time back and stated that our insects here are large, gigantic, bigger than life.  and they are.  this early morning i had taken my laptop (again, thank you sweet sweet olga!) out onto the back screened porch to read my mail and drink a cup of tea, when i heard a buzzy rattle beyond the side door.  there on the deck was an enormous cicada, still alive but upside down and appearing to struggle with his morning activities.  camera in hand, i stepped out to flip him right side up, and allowed him to crawl up onto my hand.  they don't bite, and scary as they look with prehistoric features - those buggy eyes, the scaly body - i've never been afraid of them. this one sat on my fingertips for a moment - just long enough for me to snap these images - then just as suddenly as he had appeared, whoosh! he was gone, up into the early morning sun and off to further trees.  and here i thought he was on his last legs.  ignorant me. i wonder how this vista, green and morning cool, appeared to him.  in color?  focused? or, faceted in fuzzy black and white?  how did my own fingers and wrinkly, scarred knuckles look - prehistoric as well?  they look that way to me.  huge hands to him, and surely frightening.  life can be like that sometimes - a big old hand coming down and grabbing us up, then helping us wing our way to higher heights or more solid grounds.  at least i like to think of life that way, of being grasped by the shoulders and set up tall and straight, so we can better see the path that lies before us, one that before enlightenment lay completely unseen.  tall and straight, with wings.  i like to think of life unfolding for me, continuing to unfold and then again wrap itself around me with light and guidance, with the regal gift of wings.  xo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Comments

[Erin Gergen Halls]

lucky are we when that lift about the shoulders does happen...better yet when it feels as though the old feet and legs are already moving before they hit the ground!

summer. ah yes. still picnicing, still gardening, still languishing by day in the heat of it all...and yet, here in minnesota nights are cool cool cooling down...its there, in the air...that next phase...do i dare utter the word?

autumn....

[J a n e]

Aaaahhhhhhh Cicadas... my dear friends...

Enjoy your tea and the sweet sounds of summer.

xxooxx
j a n e

[Tina in McLeansville]

how very real..life truly changes as we get "more seasoned"! it is a gift that is unfolding....things we never imagined are presenting themselves....and we can only wonder and wait to see how high we can really fly....glorious are the breezes way up high!! enjoy....have a tall glass of cold, sweet tea, breath deeply....and get ready to fly even higher...i know you will! xoxo

[beccajo]

upon first sight of the photos, i thought EEEK but your words make the photos go down easier :)

i rescued a giant bug outside my apartment the other day, he was on his back and not doin' so well, he had those giant pinchers out front that look like something from a '50's horror movie. i felt i did my insect good deed of the day. but i used a stick, not my hand to flip him over.

[Eunice]

My three year old grandson has taken to collecting cicada shells. He brings them to his mommy with great joy, and she has all she can do to get him to keep them outside. I made him a 'treasure box' and sent it off to him so he can keep them in there.

[liz elayne]

i want to step into that first picture with my blue mug of genmaicha tea in hand and join you.

the image of life unfolding and wrapping you up...pure poetry.

[inge Bekaert]

yes...Inge... that's me !
I just read your mail about the cicada and hopped over to see the big one !

I'm not afraid of insects ( if they don't bite, cause I react allergic), but my eyes go wide open every time you show these huge creatures !

... and I like weathered hands...
Inge

[Carol Weiler]

Although I love the sound of cicadas they have always seemed a little creepy to me-I will look at them in a whole new way now! I am going to Valley Ridge for the first time this weekend to take Misty's class-I feel like a child waiting for the first day of school to start! Have a wonderful time in Alabama.

[Heather Bradley]

the wing looks like the "original" stained glass window...so much inspiration out there in the wide world of nature to be inspired by...xo...glad you are back and so jealous of all those happy students (but happy for them too...), maybe artfest!?!!

[Candace]

Here in Athens, the cicadas are still up in the trees... lol. The heat has gotten to them as well. Would love to see the inside of that old lovely house sometime... what a blessing out of a topsy turvy situation, it sounds like.

Big Hug,
Candace

[Cindy Ericson]

More winged creatures!
I've been away from the computer for a few days -- how lovely to see new posts from you when I stopped in today. Rest up before the next race begins!

[Mo'a]

I adore the sound of the Cicadas but this is the first time I have seen one. We have hot and humid weather here in southern part of New Jersey. I love to siting outside in the evening looking at the fireflies and listening to the sounds of nature.

[pamq]

Last nite when I was coming in from my walk, there was a huge hummingbird moth enjoying the petunias by the front door....wings in a blur. So I sat down on the step & watched him for a little bit. Made me think of "Nina the Moth Queen"...........

[sepia art studio]

those wings which come to you are just magical! Nature is surely guiding you Nina...

<3 Delila

[sepia art studio]

those wings which come to you are just magical! Nature is surely guiding you Nina...

<3 Delila

[Olga]

My dearest Nina,
Your words can turn the "ukiest" creature into a living fairytale. :) You can tell I have not been exposed to these little creatures but yes, I am enjoying your images and your inspiration day by day and for that I am eternally greatful. I can't wait to see you in October an give you a great big hug. And last but not least, I really wanted you to know that I am looking forward to the day I can go to the opening book signing of what is to be , I believe, the greatest book of all, YOURS!
xo, Olga, Miami

[Kate]

Ahhhhhhhhhh! I remember that porch and your parents' lovely house. Happy memories! Love those cicadas too - mostly the sound - and those angel wings. xxxxxooooo K

[Kim]

Thanks for the cicada photos. I found a dead one in my car a few weeks ago and had no idea what this interesting bug was called. I live in Southern Ontario and grew up in Nova Scotia, and had always heard them in the trees in the dog days of August, but this was my first up-close experience. Cool.

[Mary]

An angel's wing could not be more exquisite - your photo is so beautiful - I would love a window just like that!

Your parents' home sounds like the perfect place for Summer relaxation - so glad you are spending time there. Enjoy each moment.

[blythespirited]

another marvelous creature revealed to us so beautifully because you not only saw how marvelous it was, you had your camera at the ready, too! you are a pretty marvelous creature yourself!!

[samm]

Dear nina,
you must remind me sometime in our summer, to post you a photo of a victorian, australian cicada... here they are a bright, bright green and just as lovely with their prehistoric features and funny bug eyes! when we were little, summer evenings were spent pouring water down their holes, under the big oak tree, and sitting back patiently, waiting for the poor things all dressed in their brown shells to come crawling out of their now waterlogged homes... now a much wiser adult, I realise these guys only have a single day-long lifetime - I feel awful having forced them to live their day somewhat prematurely!
oh bring on summer and its chorus of cicada song
xoxoxo