Monday Morning Musings:
Across the morning sky, all the birds are leaving
How can they know that it’s time to go?
–Sandy Denny, “Who Knows Where the Time Goes”Time is being and being
time, it is all one thing,
the shining, the seeing,
the dark abounding.
–from “Hymn to Time” by Ursula Le Guin
Summer sings on robin trill,
soars on broad-flapped egret’s wing
across the river’s wide expanse,
explodes on thunderclap,
and floats on driftwood
under a laden, leaded sky.
The clocks tick tock, go and stop,
but time ripples, bends, and plops,
to circle through stars and seasons.
Where’s the early promise gone, and why?
The river doesn’t answer, merely flows
with time
in rabbit hops and turkey trots, in smooth deer grace
or hawk’s lazy circling trace across the clouded sky–
Red-tailed hawk and powerlines 
Red-tailed hawk
the slow descent of morning moon, her song
a sigh, carried high by crow, who never shy,
announces to the world that summer is almost done–
but not quite
whispers the butterfly. I flutter and create a storm,
it circles round, and flowers born—
so, life goes on through seasons fast or plodding,
you remember both tears and laughter—
the sorrow of loss, the joy of what comes after—
memories flavored by love and friendship—savored–
reflections from the past.
This and That:
We’ve had a particularly muggy summer—high dewpoints and humidity (as I write, the dewpoint is 73 and the humidity is 93%). Our air conditioner has been running nearly continuously for the past month. We have another chance of thunderstorms this afternoon. However, we are not facing a hurricane. My thoughts are with friends in New Orleans.
On Tuesday, we went to Valley Green Inn by the Wissahickon Creek. It was my mom’s birthday, and we used to take her mom there for her birthday, until she couldn’t manage it. It was a very hot day, but quite pleasant eating on the porch shaded by the woods. Then we took a walk on Forbidden Drive. On our drive to Valley Green we listened to an interview on the radio with a man who held the marvelous job title of Curator of Timekeeping. He’s written a history of clocks.
Yesterday, we went to a wine festival (Wine Down the Summer at Riverwinds). We’ve attended it in previous years, though it was not held last summer because of the pandemic. We did not do any tastings, as we were not certain about weather or crowds and didn’t want to purchase expensive tickets we wouldn’t use, but we bought wine, brought food, and so, we spent the afternoon with dear friends eating (a lot), sipping wine, talking, and listening to the band. It was a lovely afternoon.
L’Chaim! 
A disembodied hand eating homemade hummus.
Some of my friends might enjoy Jennifer Ryan’s The Kitchen Front, a novel about a cooking competition sponsored by a BBC radio program during WWII. Like her other books, which I also enjoyed, it’s a sort of cozy historical novel. I really liked it—feel-good, but not sappy.
“A charming tale that will satiate a lot of different tastes: historical fiction lovers, cooking competition fans, anyone who revels in girl-power lit. . . . . This story had me so hooked, I literally couldn’t put it down to cook.”—NPR
Most of you know we watch and enjoy some pretty quirky shows and movies with subtitles, if you do, too, you might enjoy Post Mortem, a new Norwegian dramedy on Netflix. It was fun–only 6 episodes, but hopefully a second season is in the works.
And the new Netflix show The Chair with Sandra Oh is also lot of fun—we watched it in two nights.
You can tell I have eclectic tastes: we’re still watching Dexter, and I’m also re-watching Downton Abbey on Netflix (Mary and Matthew engaged again, swoon).
Yesterday and today: Merril's historical musings 
Thank you, Merril. Monday Morning Musings always offer juicy bits: photos from nature, including the Delaware; food and wine, book and movie suggestions. Oh, so little TIME though I’ve made an exception for Downton Abbey too!
Thanks so much, Marian!
Downton’s my extra show when I just feel like watching something. It’s fun to revisit the place and characters.
🙂
Merril, I love your weekly photos, poetry, and goings-on! You always share the beauty in your life. ❤
Thank you very much, Colleen! 💙
You’re so welcome. 🧡
Amazing photos, giving off vibes of peace and serenity 😍
Thank you very much!
This is beautiful. I love how you captured nature’s timekeeping ability.
Thank you so much, Ron!
Now my Monday is complete. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your lovely musings and gorgeous photos, Merril. I love the wildflowers growing among the rock. Your husband cracks me up!
I love all the nature photos, but Wildflower among the Rocks is my favorite. These are the musings that most resonate with me today:
The clocks tick tock, go and stop,
but time ripples, bends, and plops,
to circle through stars and seasons.
Where’s the early promise gone, and why?
The river doesn’t answer, merely flows
with time
Thank you very much. I walked out onto the beach, and then I saw that little flower.
Thank you for letting me know the lines that spoke to you. The stanza about the clocks was a late addition.
You’re welcome! Time is such a confounding concept, I’ve always thought.
It is! But so fascinating, too!
Very true!
“The clocks tick tock, go and stop,
but time ripples, bends, and plops,
to circle through stars and seasons.” Time does feel like this, very bendy as we say in yoga class of anyone who has loose joints. Such a lovely poem, capturing so well the sense of summer going but not just yet. I love your photos, too, and how they weave through your poem.
You do watch an eclectic mix of movies and shows. That’s why we love to hear your recommendations 🙂 Greg and I have been watching The Good Place on Netflix. I love comedy shows that do not have laugh tracks, and so much of the humor in The Good Place is quick and dry and a pleasant antidote to our daily grim news.
Thank you so much, Marie! Yes, very bendy. 😀
We both enjoyed The Good Place, too. It’s so good! Our younger daughter got us hooked on it. I can’t think of the last time I heard a laugh track–it seems very dated.
Occasionally when we surf through network TV channels, we’ll come across some old comedy shows that have laugh tracks. Ick 😉
My husband does that channel surfing, too, sometimes. 😀
I make him put the TV on mute if he surfs for too long 😉
He really doesn’t surf that much, but he will watch (or sleep) through some really bad stuff. I’m usually at the computer or upstairs.
You always know where to find the good food and drink!
Love that laden, leaden bit, too. xo
Thank you very much.
I liked the laden leaden bit, too. 😀
It’s interesting you should write about time in this way, Merril: after your comment on my poem from yesterday, I started wondering if there is some physical reason why children experience time differently to adults…it’s a fascinating subject, whatever angle you take! I love the sound of ‘Forbidden Drive’ – I wouldn’t be able to resist that walk…
Thank you, Ingrid. I wrote mine, and then I read yours, and I thought it was funny we both wrote about time (in different ways). Part of the difference has to do with lifespan. One summer makes up a larger percentage of a child’s life than it does for someone who has lived decades.
Forbidden Drive is a great name, but I believe it’s just because cars are forbidden. It is very pretty though–and sometimes we see people riding on horseback there, too. And there are also hiking paths.
That’s a good point about lifespan – maybe that’s why children’s memories are so much better as well 😅
Probably. 😀
A beautiful celebration of life, Merrill! Lovely to read your musings on nature, love the photos and great to see a couple of you enjoying life out and about! Thank you for the pointer to Post Mortem and The Chair – my husband and I will love both of these I’m sure! Wishing you a great week ahead and hope it becomes less muggy for you. Here some warmth and sunshine wouldn’t come amiss! 😀
Thank you very much, Annika! We’re supposed to have rain, but then lovely weather at the end of the week. I hope you get some sunshine and warmth. Enjoy the shows, if you watch them. 😀
Beautiful reflections on time, on nature, and on life with your very own Goofy. Such a shame that neither Sandy Denny nor her brother David were to enjoy very much of it.
Thank you very much, Derrick. 🤣
You’re right. It’s all about time, the ticking clock, even when the seasons don’t conform. I love that opening stanza and those lovely photos of the river.
Thank you very much! 😀
🙂
So beautiful! From the writing to the photos, my heart was captivated😊
That is so very kind. Thank you! 💙
Curator of Timekeeping is such a wonderful title!
Another beautiful and fascinating post, Merril. Beautiful images and words, and always some interesting recommendations for shows, movies, and books. 🙂
Thank you, Robin! I thought that title was wonderful, too. 😀
I always enjoy your Monday Musings (even if I’m a day late!)
Quirky is always good, as far as I am concerned: Walking Dead, Modern Love, and anything in between!
Thank you so much, Dale. Well, we share a love for Cold War. 😀
Oh yes!
And immediately the song comes into my head! 🙂
You’re welcome! 😀
😀
I heard the geese honking farewell – already? And September 2 and the hummers, who buzzed at our feeder desperately two days ago, are unseen. Sigh. Ursula Le Guin and her time poem …. .Yessss. Also made me think of Simon and Garfunkel “Time it was And what a time it was,”
Thank you so much, Pam. I’m enjoying the weather of September 2 though. 😀
Soooo much better!