Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability. ~ Sam Keen
There is always a certain morning in summer that seems magical, that moment when I step outside into a quiet world and say to myself “summer has arrived.” This morning, late in July, I finally had that moment. The sun in the eastern sky lit the trees along the road with a golden light, a wood thrush greeted me with its distinctive song, and the soft warm air promised a hot sunny day to come. I had no agenda other than to wander through the garden with Angel, accompanied by the drone of cicadas and the calls of robins and bluejays.
The garden is lush, almost voluptuous in its beauty, thanks to hot days and frequent thundershowers.
The daylilies are finishing their season, with a few welcome malingerers.
The roses have caught their second wind with fresh foliage and fulsome blooms.
The hydrangeas are bowed to the ground with a bounty of creamy white blossoms, fragrant and covered with tiny pollinators gathering food. Their busy wings remind me of last night, when I watched hundreds of fireflies rise up from the garden to sparkle and flicker their way into the trees.
This was not a morning to rise before dawn and do the hard work of weeding and digging for hours in order to prepare for visitors. This was a lazy quiet morning to soak in every sight, sound, and scent the garden offered, a gift of deep summer, when the burdens of the world fade for a few hours and I live in the moment.
The perfect song for a lazy summer day: Barbra Streisand’s “Lazy Afternoon”
Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time. ~John Lubbock, The Use Of Life
composerinthegarden 
Loved your inclusion of the John Lubbock quote and Barbara Streisand tune with your wonderful photos.
Thanks, Charlie! The Lubbock quote seemed to be the essence of summer 🙂
Such a beautiful inspiring garden!
Thank you zannyro for your kind comment; welcome and I hope you stop by again 🙂
Thank you zannyro for your kind comment; welcome and I hope you stop by again 🙂 I love your creature stories on your blog!
Thank you 🙂 I’ll be back to visit again!
Yellow and pink seem to be the leading colors for deep Summer. This is what our spring gardens look like. By now they are dry and faded. Looking forward to berry picking soon,
Thanks for commenting I had lost you
Carol, thank you for stopping by; great to “hear” your voice. I’ve been enjoying your wonderful photos lately!
Ahh, thank you for describing sanity! 🙂
I love the Sam Keen quote, and the vision of fireflies – something I miss! And we don’t have the Wood thrush but we have Swainson’s, which has the same ethereal beauty. Lovely photos and post, so glad you shared your lazy morning.
Lynn, that quote inspired the name of the post; glad you liked it. Yes, the garden does seem to offer sanity in a crazy world; it certainly restores my balance.
I found a wonderful video of the Swainson’s thrush singing; thank you for mentioning this beautiful and melodious bird: https://youtu.be/lpLnRUnoJNQ
Yes, the garden becomes less hectic as summer progresses – thank goodness. Lots of beauty in your garden, to be sure!
I agree with your sentiment, Jason! The garden activity calms down here as the daylilies go out of season – no more need to deadhead for a half hour every morning.
That I’ve had the great joy of walking through your garden this summer … makes these images and ideas especially wonderful… thanks for sharing so poetically and with visual lyricism…
Doug, thank you for your kind words. But not only did you walk through the garden, you actually helped me get it ready for the tour! I gave you a shout out in the last post, but I will do it again. Your help made all the difference.
I am a man of all seasons, but there is something special about gardens in the deep summer, so lush and full. You garden and your images are gorgeous.
Otto, thank you for your kind words. I agree, there is something so appealing about the garden at this time of year; glad you enjoyed your visit to this one!
Summer is meant to be enjoyed lazily, absorbing the warmth and beauty all around us. It’s such a gift! Your garden looks like a beautiful place to enjoy it. 🙂
Eliza, I couldn’t agree more! This summer I have often been too busy with other obligations to enjoy those lazy moments, so the shift towards embracing a lower gear is so welcome. Having the garden outside the doors makes it even better, as I’m sure you know – your gardens look absolutely gorgeous and I hope you can enjoy it in a leisurely way 🙂
Thank you, Lynn. Yes, now that the heat is upon us, I slow down considerably. The pace, rather more tortoise than hare. 😉
🙂
Not sure if I want to see that this is a wonderful way to start the day …. or that morning is the best time to experience this moments. I guess both thoughts fit … and your words also fit with both. Well done, Lynn!
Many thanks, Frank. Once I became a gardener, I became a morning person 🙂
A perfect blend of text and imagery…producing sensations that are absolutely idyllic.
Thank you, Kerry – I hope at least a bit of the magic of this morning came through.
How beautiful your garden looks! Besides the warmth and showers it must be your hard work involved too 😉 We do ‘rejoice’ this year in a very dry summer. All succulents are happy…
I’m happy for your succulents, diversifolius! They only survive here on the hillsides. And yes, it was a lot of hard work, but the results are more than worth it. And the work is therapeutic too 🙂
Beautiful images of beautiful flowers.
Thank you, Tootlepedal!
There have been days like that recently over here in the UK. We moved house last November and the garden of our new house (new to us, not newly built) looked dead and really rather neglected. This Spring and early summer have been a revelation as the garden has burst into bloom and each week has produced something new – Rhododendrons, Hydrangeas, Fuchsias, Honeysuckle, Clematis, It has been magical, and I don’t recall a year quite like it. Yes, we have worked hard bu,t we have been rewarded and it has been such a pleasure to sit and drink in the beauty in a garden. And be lazy even if it is only for just a few minutes.
What a treat to see a new garden unfold before you! I wish you every joy in your new home and garden and many magical days to come 🙂
Your garden is so magnificent. And how wonderful that you can now relax and enjoy it! Oh, how I miss the abundance that rain and water bring!
Thank you, Audrey – it is so nice to relax and enjoy it instead of trying to meet a deadline. I wish you an abundance of rain for your gardens in California.
Your last quotation led me to the full text of The Use of Life:
Click to access uselife02lubbgoog.pdf
I don’t think I’d heard of Sir John Lubbock till now. Had you?
Steve, thank you so much for the link. In reading some of his work, it still seems to hold a very timely, or perhaps timeless, message. No, I had not heard of Lubbock before but the quote moved me and inspired the post. In fact, many of the quotes in that BuzzFeed post were truly inspiring.
A lazy, quiet summer day sounds perfect, Lynn; bless you for indulging and for encouraging all of us to give ourselves the gift of being in the present when such a day is offered to us. Your garden looks so lovely and full of invitation. Perfect choice of music, too: thank you for all these treats!
It IS a gift, Kitty, and sometimes I forget to just “be” in it – and it is magical when that happens. Glad you enjoyed the song; it kept creeping into my head as I wrote the post. I hope you are enjoying your garden this summer!
So glad to have been able to enjoy your beautiful garden again! A very joyful experience! xo
Nancy, I’m so glad you were able to visit, more than once!