Tuesday, August 09, 2016

The Music of August Mornings

You try, really try, to describe something that is quite beyond description. Are you aware that it is so? You are indeed, but you try to describe it anyway and make a complete shambles of the exercise.

Morning skies in August are intense happenings, early sunlight burnishing clouds into brilliance and lighting up contrails against skies that often as not have a touch of violet in them.  Sometimes, everything up there looks like stained glass.  There are high fluffy streaks from horizon to horizon, strands of light touching everything with copper and oro pallido - the pale lustrous gold that only visits the world at the beginning of day (although Tuscan skies sometimes held such wonders in late afternoon when I was a student there many years ago).  One thing is certain - you need a large brush to paint such sweeping confetti colored expanses, lenses that can take in the great wide world from here to there.  I will not be able to carry a camera for another few weeks, but I am already thinking of acquiring another lens or two, more tubes of  scarlet, gold and indigo for my paint box.

Spencer and I went out to greet the morning together as usual, although I am supposed to stay indoors for a while longer.  Barefoot, I sipped my tea as my faithful companion looked up and around, his expressive tail waving like a metronome.  Geese were flying up from their night on the river and out into the corn to feed, giving voice to vast waves of joyous honking as they passed overhead on their way to farm fields beyond the village and the river.

Late summer mornings in the north have always been like this, full of light and texture and color and sound. This is the traditional music of August, "the music of what happens" as the season draws to a slow and honeyed close. How amazing it all is, and how fleeting.

7 comments:

My Journey To Mindfulness said...

Beautiful
and
Continual healing wishes
sent your way...

Pienosole said...

Indeed. August mornings have a flavor all their own. Their sense of fleetingness make them precious.

Barbara Rogers said...

Thanks for sharing a dawn sky. I haven't seen one in ages, since it requires 1) getting up in the dark and 2) driving somewhere else to see it because 3) I live in a wooded space where first light appears a couple of hours before the sun crests the trees. Be well, my friend.

sarah said...

Such a lovely, eloquent description of such lavish beauty. Continuing to wish for your strength and healing. <3

Anonymous said...

Beautiful and it makes me so happy to see you posting.

christinalfrutiger said...

It looks and sounds as if you are indeed drawing on exquisite nature to help in the healing of your body and soul....Such a gorgeous, beautiful place you are to do so.

May you get stronger and healthier each day...

Guy said...

What wonderful clouds, hopefully your strength returns and the pain resides quickly.

Regards
Guy