Sweet Days of Summer

Confederate Jasmine Bloom

Sweet days of summer, the jasmine's in bloom. July is dressed up and playing her tune.
And I come home from a hard day's work, and you're waiting there, not a care in the world.
See the smile a-waitin' in the kitchen, food cookin' and the plates for two.
See the arms that reach out to hold me, in the evening when the day is through.

Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.

-Seals & Crofts

Even though it is not officially summer until June 21, I had the song lyrics that I quoted above going on continuous loop through my head this weekend.  The song, "Summer Breeze," was sung by Seals & Crofts back in 1972.  The song is sort of an anthem about simplicity - life's simple pleasures that we often overlook.  You know, like they sing: coming home from work, smelling the jasmine, seeing your wife, supper's cooking, and you receive a great welcome.  That's a nice, simple pleasure and it just evokes a happy feeling!

The reason I was thinking about that song is that the jasmine is blooming right now - Confederate Jasmine, to be specific.  It climbs on a wooden fence that surrounds our air conditioning units from some cuttings I took from my grandmother's (Bumby) house.  The fragrance permeates the landscape.

A jungle of jasmine!

Sunday afternoon, after we'd eaten lunch and had our traditional Sunday afternoon coffee and chocolate truffles: Merienda, Tricia and I walked around the yard, or "we took a turn around the yard" as Jane Austen might say.  We sat down on a picnic table bench beneath the shade of a pecan tree right near where the jasmine grows. It was not a mistake that we sat there.  There was a nice breeze blowing that filled the air with the nice scent of jasmine.  I had stuff that I needed to do, but I just didn't want to leave.  Tricia actually asked if something was wrong because it is unlike me to just want to sit and do nothing!

I have another cutting that I took off of this jasmine going in a pot.  I was thinking about planting it on the back fence to serve as a pretty barrier, but the perimeter wire for our electric fence runs along that fence.  Confederate jasmine sends out long, climbing vines that you must constantly trim.  That wouldn't work well on that fence since it would ground out the electric fence.  I initially thought that the goat would eat it, but I researched and learned that goats don't eat jasmine.  (I thought goats eat everything?)

If this photo was scratch and sniff, you would enjoy the fragrance!

All in all, it was a peaceful Sunday - one of those days that stand out in your mind and you just feel grateful to be alive to enjoy it.  There is actually another song that I really like that couples Sundays and jasmine that fits in even better than Summer Breeze.  It's called "What I love about Sunday," by Craig Morgan:

Raymond's in his Sunday best,
He's usually up to his chest in oil an' grease.
There's the Martin's walkin' in,
With that mean little freckle-faced kid,
Who broke a window last week.
Sweet Miss Betty likes to sing off key in the pew behind me. 

That's what I love about Sunday:
Sing along as the choir sways;
Every verse of Amazin' Grace,
An' then we shake the Preacher's hand.
Go home, into your blue jeans;
Have some chicken an' some baked beans.
Pick a back yard football team,
Not do much of anything:
That's what I love about Sunday. 

I stroll to the end of the drive,
Pick up the Sunday Times, grab my coffee cup.
It looks like Sally an' Ron, finally tied the knot,
Well, it's about time.
It's 35 cents off a ground round,
Baby, cut that coupon out! 

That's what I love about Sunday:
Cat-napping on the porch swing;
You curled up next to me,
The smell of jasmine wakes us up.
Take a walk down a back road,
Tackle box and a cane pole;
Carve our names in that white oak,
steal a kiss as the sun fades,
That's what I love about Sunday,
Oh, yeah. 

Ooh, new believers gettin' baptized,
Momma's hands raised up high,
Havin' a Hallelujah good time
A smile on everybody's face.
That's what I love about Sunday,
Oh, yeah. 

That's what I love about Sunday,
Oh, yeah.

Jasmine and Sundays go together like peas and carrots!