August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time. — Sylvia Plath
Hello August and Hello Gentle Readers!
It is my hope that August holds some (more) rain this month…we’ve had some but we need quite a bit more in my neighborhood!
Welcome to the last full month of summer. The month where the tomato plants are supposed to explode with an abundance of fruit. Mine? Well… there will be some cherry tomatoes… though likely not enough to share and my big tomato plants were a bust this year. Not a single tomato blossom ever appeared. So a less than stellar summer for tomatoes.
So what can an August without tomatoes hold for me?
Some poetry for what ails me!
Well… thank goodness for poetry. I am reading poetry every day (especially poets who understand grief… Ada Limón and Ocean Vuong, I am loving my time with you!) The Sealey Challenge talks about reading one book of poetry a day… and some days I might read an entire little book of poetry. But most days, I have found that just sitting and lingering with a few poems are my sweet spot. (For my fellow Rilke lovers… Mark Burrows has a new translation of Rilke’s Sonnets to Orpheus)
A deeper dive into Time, thanks to the latest Emergence Magazine publication! It is chock full of good things!
To fuel my creative soul… I signed up for a MDK class with Cecelia Campochiaro. I have my “kit” and I am itching to begin “micro-swatching” with a color way kit that channels Carole… The Dahlia Color Set:
I love these colors and I am really excited to see how they marl!
There you have my hopes for August… what about you? What do you hope this month holds for you?
Header photo by Fauzan Fitria who had the perfect image for today’s date!
Your library has quite an extensive poetry collection! I’m afraid mine views poetry more as an afterthought, but I have a big, fat book of Wislawa Szymborska’s poetry that I am slowly working my way through. I love your dahlia collection photo and hope you’ll share what it becomes!
I am fortunate that my library system has lots of poetry!
What glorious colors for your MDK class!! Love them. Poetry can be such a balm and I’m glad you are finding solace in it. Our tomatoes are a bust this year too….
those colors are beautiful! I cannot wait to see what you are making. As I try to not wish away August, I’m wishing away August – I need cooler weather!!
Oh, those colors! I cannot wait to see what you do with them! It looks like we will get some more rain this week, and I hope it helps ease the heat and humidity some. And thank you for reminding me of poetry. I need some calming right now, so I think I’ll put a volume or two on my nightstand.
What a great start to August, Kat! So many good things . . . and That Yarn!!!! What a gorgeous collection of color you’ve got there! XO
Those colors definitely remind me of dahlias and I love them! I’m really glad that poetry is helping you with your grief, Kat. Keep leaning into it.
The yarn is a perfect August color combination. And poetry is a balm for the soul. I’ve been reading a few poems each night before I pick up my before bed book. The interesting thing to me is that even as I read books I’ve read before, they all somehow feel new and different. I see something new each time I read.
Honestly I’m hoping to maintain a positive attitude through August. The ever loving head makes it my least favorite month.
Oh, those colors!! That’ll be a fun class & I can’t wait to see your progress.
I decided against that one & am opting for the class with Natalie Chanin instead. No kit needed! It’ll be a kick in the butt to work on one of the many AC projects I already having underway (or in the wings). haha.