The Warm Wakeful August Night

In The Garden

22 Roses In the Rain

“How sociable the garden was.
We ate and talked in given light.
The children put their toys to grass
All the warm wakeful August night.”
-   Thomas Gunn, Last Days at Teddington

Last year I put a raised bed garden in the back. In the middle of it I placed a picnic table. It has become a great place for friends and family (and guests) to gather and enjoy each others company. Of course, summertime means not only gardening but picnicking, as well. And picnic is just what we did. I invited my family over for a delightful meal of mom’s potato salad, grilled steak and chicken, and garden grown vegetables. We had fresh summer squash, corn, lettuce and peppers.

"Oh boy, corn!" said Toby

It was a perfect Vermont summer evening. The boys picked strawberries and black-raspberries off the vines while the table was being set. The sound of “Roses In The Rain” being played on the phonograph wafted out the kitchen door.

Edison phonograph circa 1920

It was a wonderful way to spend a warm summer evening. In the words of Jane. . .

“To sit in the shade on a fine day, and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment.”

-Jane Austen

And it was.

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Tagged as: Edison-phonograph, Jane-Austen, Picnic, Raised-bed-gardens, Roses-In-The-Rain, summertime-in-Vermont, Summertime-quotes