Man, today was hotter than the hinges of Hell’s gates and hotter than a two dollar pistol. It was so hot the songbirds are wearing oven mints to pull worms out of the ground. I love Southern sayings and slang. Always makes me laugh when I hear someone use one in a sentence.

Seriously, it was too hot for me to ponder long in the porch swing. I sat out in the swing this morning, before the blistering heat cranked up, looking out onto my little slice of heaven on Earth and thought what a lucky girl I am. Father Sky has rendered a deep blue sky with fluffy clouds colored snow white. Where there are breaks in the clouds the sun is kissing the edges of the clouds luminous white with her golden rays. I’m thankful for this glorious Earth we call home and for the magnificent colors of Mother Nature’s watercolors. I’m admiring all the beautifully colored blooms on my flowers — the hot pinks and cool whites of the petunias, the rosy pinks and oranges and purples of the sunpatiens, the crayon green of sunflower stalks standing tall and straight, their bright yellow blooms worshipping the sun in my flower garden, and the zinnias blooming in hot pinks and purples and oranges, providing dance stages for the glorious butterflies.

Oldest brother porch visited mid-morning. He took two big tomatoes home with him. I’ve never grown tomatoes so big or so beautiful. Looked like the tomatoes from my daddy’s farm garden. I wish I had taken a photo of them. I know Chief and Daddy are bragging in heaven on my green thumb. If Daddy could see the tall grass in the flowerbed he’d change his tone. But I know Balthazar and his snake buddies are hiding in there so I’m leaving the grass for now.

Had five wasps sting my left hand this afternoon. I dumped the water from one of the birdbaths out and the black wasps came out from under the birdbath landing on my hand. Hurt so bad! Thank goodness I had the hosepipe in my hand. I squirted them away. Looked under the birdbath but there was no nest. These wasps stung more than once each when they lit on my hand. Came in and took a Zyrtec, didn’t have any Benadryl. Chief’s daddy died from a wasp sting on his wrist. He was not allergic to wasps but the wasp stung him on a vein and caused immediate anaphylactic shock which caused his death. Chief found his daddy lying on the ground near their mailbox. His daddy said one word, “Wasp.” There was a wasp nest under the mailbox. Wasps are mean little devils but they serve importantly as pollinators. They control garden pests, help with scavenging and decomposition, and are a food source for a variety of animals. My family loathe wasps!

It’s twilight now, not much cooler, and I’m perched in the porch swing listening to all the songbirds and their symphonies of happiness and watching the squirrels play tag on the old oak tree trunk as a beautiful sunset begins. I’m simply thinking, thanks for this wondrous day the Lord has made. This prayerful poem, We Thank Thee, by Ralph Waldo Emerson just says my thoughts so well.

We Thank Thee —

For flowers that bloom about our feet, Father, we thank Thee. For tender grass so fresh, so sweet, Father, we thank Thee. For the song of bird and hum of bee, For all things fair we hear or see, Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

For blue of stream and blue of sky, Father, we thank Thee. For pleasant shade of branches high, Father, we thank Thee. For fragrant air and cooling breeze, For beauty of the blooming trees, Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

For this new morning with its light, Father, we thank Thee. For rest and shelter of the night, Father, we thank Thee. For health and food, for love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends, Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” — Confucius