Summer Has Arrived

Choctaw Virgin Mother & Child

c Fr. John Giuliani

Yesterday the day was warm but scheduled. Early in the morning I left for a doctor’s appointment—in a strip mall since her office has blown away. Everyone in the waiting room talked of tornado aftermath situations. The doctor herself talked of the changes the tornado had made in Joplin, the miracles that had occurred along with the tragedies. After a few errands, I met old teaching friends for a nice lunch. Though we talked of religion, politics, books, retirement, and family issues, a large chunk of conversation was on tornado stories. Then I came home and worked four hours with submissions for the Storm Country writing project. I was ready for something new today.

But—a phone call jingled about Storm Country submissions even before I was even awake. It was an elderly writer wanting to know when she would know something about submissions that are not even closed yet! A painfully tedious explanation one more time of how this writing project works before I could start my own day. I threw on clothes and got out of the house for errands, stopping first at the farmer’s market. Home again for a very summery lunch on the deck despite the rising temps. I had picked up fried chicken pieces, a cantaloupe at Wal-Mart (proved to be too green), sliced tomatoes from the farmer’s market (that were fat, rich red and a perfect explosion of summer on a plate), green beans (a low cal and low carb staple), all accompanied by a dark brewed Welsh tea poured over ice. Ah, the good life.

Then I noticed my mint pots, shriveling up like the Wicked Witch hit by water! Wow, they hated the heat. So I watered them and moved them to a shaded table. They came back with sighs of relief you could almost hear. The card is one a friend sent me a few weeks ago. I love the indigenous flavor of this Madonna and Child, reminding us of Spiritual presence. The Choctaw were part of the Five Civilized Tribes that were moved from east of the Mississippi River in the mid 1800’s to present day Oklahoma. Note the ribbon work and appliqué on the shirts.


But now afternoon heat makes me feel like the mint pots. I gave up and returned inside. I have five new submissions to read or I can dust something, which I hate to do. I have a choice today of what to dust because everything in this house is coated! Okay, maybe a compromise….hey Bookie, get up, dust ONE room and then you can have tea and read a book AFTER you read the submissions. Fine, that sounds good. I can always dust more inside tomorrow afternoon as the heat index is to be 106 by then….Summer is here!