Monkey Weddings & Summer Sapphires

There’s nothing lazy or slow about it. A short and defined time, it is as if nature knows it has a very limited time to be spectacular and impress us with her splendor. Our forest and surrounding garden reach tropical proportions in the space of two months. A powerful combination of heat, long hours of daylight and rain causes an explosion of growth.

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It is the season of Lupines, Lilies, Peonies, Hydrangeas and wild roses. It is a mixed bag of weather from spectacular heat indices well into the 30s, to suffocating, humid clammy days. The days are long, with sundown way after eight o’clock. With the doors and windows flung wide open, the soft, delicate, sweet scent of the wild roses wafts through the house. As much as possible, we live and cook outdoors. 

A small round table, foraged for $12 from a thrift store, is brought back to summer splendour, with my mother’s small linen tablecloth, candles, and quickly picked wildflowers from the forest. This is where we eat most nights, amongst a canopy of bright green Maple, Oak and Birch trees. I only wear shoes if I must, giving my feet the much needed fresh air and freedom after months in socks and boots.