Another pretty morning for porch pondering. Bright clear sunshine. Delicate blue sky with lots of clouds. Made me remember all the summer mornings I’d race out of the house and hop on my bicycle. Just felt and smelled like a summer day from my childhood.

The clouds have been so interesting lately. They come and go all day and meld together and pull apart, changing shapes and colors. I’m noticing them more because I’m trying to learn their names. You catch them right before sunset and they will all have a very pale soft hued pink color about them. I read that clouds personified are the daughters of earth and water and that the sky is their caretaker. I think that’s such a wonderful way to look at the clouds. I’m working on my cloud identifications. Today I saw cumulus clouds. Those are the clouds we all drew on our art work as children. Puffy, rounded clouds, bleached white on top when the sun kisses them. Their bottoms are straight and grayish. Also saw some cirrus clouds, thin and wispy. They are the clouds I usually describe as being created by God dragging his white pastel across the blue canvas of the sky. Yesterday there were some beautiful altocumulus clouds. They looked like ripples across the sky. Sailors call the cirrus clouds “Mare Tails” and call the altocumulus clouds “Mackerel Scales.” Those names describe those clouds perfectly. I thought and thought yesterday of a way to describe the altocumulus clouds.

Ate my breakfast late on the porch. Called it brunch and lunch. Still eating a cantaloupe that’s not too good and I just can’t wait to finish it. I’m sure Grandpaw raccoon would love to nibble on it. Penelope was giving me the starving look so I shared some cantaloupe with her. The birds love it but I don’t want to attract more critters.

My next door neighbor came over this afternoon telling me her deck looked like somebody had a party on her picnic table last night and threw everything on the floor of the deck after the party was over. I couldn’t help but laugh. Knew exactly who and what had been partying — Grandpaw and his harem. While she was talking about the mess on the deck, here comes Grandpaw, pedal to the medal, running down the driveway across the street and high tailing it down my driveway. She was so busy talking and talking and talking she didn’t even have time to see him when I told her to look. I am so hoping that the new raccoon party invitations will have her address on them. I have entertained them enough!

Stew and I thought we smelled a skunk while we were sitting on the porch after supper. My neighbors told me they had seen it several times in their yard. Please pray it doesn’t take up residence here.

The day is settling into nighttime. The cardinals and chipmunks and squirrels are all fussing around the feeders, getting that last snack before their bedtime. The sky is a dull gray, the clouds have dispersed. The sun is a blinding ball of orange and red preparing to turn off the light on this day she illuminated earlier this morning. The golden hour of nightfall. Mother Nature is pinning the stars in the sky now. The darkness so beautiful in its quietness and stillness.

“Twilight, a timid, fawn, went glimmering by, and Night, the dark-blue hunter, followed fast,” — George William Russell.