Leaving the World of Summer | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: Please join me in welcoming Author Michele Rhem, who presents us with her poignant memoirs of the Rabbit Patch, where her diaries weave tales of a simpler, expressive life lost to many, but gathered together in her most familiar environs - the Rabbit Patch.

    The last day of my summer, was beautiful-if only it had not been the last day! The morning dawned fair and bright. Will (my son in heart) and I drank coffee on the front porch. The laughing river was a subtle shade of lavender, I noticed . The sky was silver and a pair of doves had, as I far as I could see, all of it to themselves. I suspected the rest of the early birds, were hiding in the bracken around Miss Thelmas' front porch", waiting for their breakfast.

    Mary Carolyn", one of Jennys' oldest friends drove up, from her home, an hour away. It was the day of the brunch, honoring the arrival of Jennys' new daughter, after all. Mary Carolyn does make up professionally, and so she was bound and determined to give Jenny the "royal treatment " on her special day.

    Now, the brunch was lovely and Jenny was beautiful, with happiness. Sarah hosted the event in her especially stately home. Mandy who owns Pansy & Ivy made floral arrangements, as only she can - and baked her famous pound cake. Jessica and Michele, who are both good cooks, to be so young, brought their specialty dishes and there was fancy tea too. How good it felt to know that Jenny has such dear and genuine friends. We all love our children, but there is great comfort, in knowing we are not the only ones who love them.

    I left the brunch quite early, as I had to get back to the rabbit patch. I had been gone almost two weeks, and school started the next day . .regular readers know . . ."that changes everything."

    I did not want to leave the world of summer. . .but I had missed Kyle and Christian - and my animals. Besides, some day the appraiser is coming, and there is that. My ear ached the whole way home. Thankfully, the drive was uneventful, otherwise.

    I pulled in the drive and the grass at the rabbit patch, was so high, that it robbed the territory of its' charm. It was about shameful as all of "Farm Life" is such a tidy community. I made a mental note to hire somebody immediately to preserve our dignity.

    Oh, the reunion with my sons and dog - and cat,was sweet. Christian had just scrubbed floors, so the house was tidy. This may have been to soften the news that the dryer had quit working. The clothes line is a wonderful alternative, but showers pop up daily and without warning. I can not hang clothes on the line and go to work . . so I need to tend to that immediately too. For now, the ladder has become a drying rack.

    I decided to make a pitcher of ice tea. Surely that would put things right. Kyle came in as the tea was seeping. I was surveying the progress of the "autumn joy" flowers through the kitchen window. Kyle said "Mom, there are ants in the sugar." -and there were. It was a new bag and had not been opened -but there were ants, as Kyle had said.

    Well, I thought, we are all well and safe, we are all together - and the autumn joy flowers are full of young buds.

    I woke to a soft and cool rain, on Monday. Now, this is certainly the best conditions for sleeping, but it was the first day of the new school year, for me. I did not dilly-dally, but went straight-a-way, to preparing for the day. I like to get to work early, and that is the only place I know of, I can say that about.

    Monday night,I made a canister of summer oats with the wild blueberries, I love. I plan to make the veggie burgers, this week end. I keep the refrigerator at school, stocked, with such things, along with peanut butter, cheese and crackers, as lunch breaks are seldom more than twenty minutes.

    My clothes are laid out the night before, as I can not think sensibly, upon waking.

    This morning, (Wednesday), a phone call woke me. It was Mama and I knew right off, something was wrong. Daddy needed to go the emergency room. He had suffered all night - so had Mama -with pain. Thankfully, it was not life, threatening-but it demanded attention. It does me good to write, all is well, now.

    I came home to a new dryer, and that was good news too, for it rains every day, still.

    What an eventful week, thus far! . . .and what a far cry from the watery interlude of summer. Each season has its' own rhythm. . . Now as I drive past fields, and woods, and quiet pastures, I take in the beauty - just as I did on the banks of the laughing river, in June. While the tulips rest, the loosetrife blooms, when the berries are spent, young pumpkins abide and the corn, gilded in gold, awaits harvest. So beauty does not forsake us, but instead takes on new forms. The world is always adorned in some spectacular fashion. . .and I am more keenly aware of this, now that I am older. Growing up in the countryside, did not hurt one bit, either. . . and especially in the particular times, when I was a child.

    I grew up, before televisions were on all day, before children were allowed to chat on telephones and before, we became attached to gadgets. Children made their own toys, mostly - out of what was at hand and ball games were organised by the children too, without rosters and uniforms. We were bound to notice the landscape and roam in wild places.

    Autumn is less than a fortnight away, so many changes are yet to come. "Monday" did change a lot of things, but life has a rhythm too - and while, we must adjust steadily (and occasionally, rapidly) . . . The moon will climb the sky as it always does and the pines will whisper, as they always do. . . for nature is not only beautiful, it is also full of mercy.