Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Night Falls

The Good Times ice cream truck returned to Not Wisteria Lane tonight. The last we'd seen the truck and it's female owner/operator, Nicole, she advised me that she'd be back on Tuesday and Saturday evenings. As it turns out, I'd been here most of the Tuesdays and Saturdays the last two weeks...and no ice cream.

But then this evening, when all hope was lost, we heard the distinctive tones of the electronic "Turkey in the Straw" drifting on the evening air and we dashed around waving them down and grabbing some money. What can I say, those Strawberry Shortcake bars are a rare treat.

When I mentioned her absence, she told me she'd been working the Eastham beaches (oh, sure, now that we're in Harwich...), but she gave me her card, "in case you have an ice cream emergency." (Weren't we just chuckling about the Cookie Emergency truck in Montreal?)

So now we've got her phone number and it almost seems worth it to have another barbecue, just to get the ice cream truck to cater dessert. She also does Weddings (picture, if you will...), Birthdays and other Special Occasions, naturally. Next time, I'll have to ask her if the truck plays "La Cucharacha", as I hear this is a popular choice for ice cream trucks in Baltimore.

And so we had our dessert while dinner was still cooking.

* * *

The sun sinks behind the trees, light on the garden becoming first dappled, then indirect...and gradually seeping away as the sky darkens above.

Walk with me along the garden's edge, our bare feet in the damp grass of evening. We'll light some candles and talk some about the various plants...whispering their names and stories, if we know them.

We stoop to sniff at one blossom or another. All the snapdragons smell like different kinds of candy, their scents growing stronger in the gathering shadows. In nearby bushes, birds chirp their young ones a nest-time story as they settle in for the dark night ahead.



Here's a sort of group picture, the Midnight Garden Class of 2008, Spring Semester, if you will.
As the sun sets, the moon suddenly appears behind the treeline across the street. As the evening progresses, we watch it clear the treetop and light the sky, puffy cotton clouds lit sideways with it's glowing beams.

I believe that "star" to the east/left of the moon is Jupiter. It's elliptical orbit has it as close to the earth as it ever gets this week, thus the extra brilliance.

The Fair Orb is not quite full this evening, but it's close enough that you really can't tell much of a difference. It's bright beams catch the white petals of the daisies and snapdragons and that single white cleome and set them to gleaming in the dark. Maybe someday I'll have a White Garden for just such occasions, as Vita did at Sissinghurst (though perhaps on a more manageable scale).

For now, the daisies' glow is enough.

13 comments:

dykewife said...

i looked at the lovely garden you created and paused to be glad that your landlord isn't like our last one...i put in a tiny flower garden at the bottom of the driveway and he whines about the grass that was gone. he was such an asshole. :P

tornwordo said...

The ice cream truck song is Turkey in the Straw. Wow, I learned something else today. (I went and heard the sound clip too.)

Greg said...

Dykewife, we've had that sort of landlord, too. Some people will simply never appreciate the beauty or value of a garden. They deserve our sympathy for their blindness.

Torn, "Turkey in the Straw" was the tune last night. Before that it's been "The Entertainer."

: )

Birdie said...

Your music is an integral part of the experience of this blog. I loved listening to "Cruising Together" while enjoying the visual and verbal poetry of today's post. Such a great way to start the day.

(I need to figure out why I can't access my music player! Maybe I should just start a new one.)

Greg said...

That's great to hear, Birdie--it was a real fun playlist to put together. I'd love to figure out how to burn it to disc, actually...guess I'll have to recreate from scratch...like you with your player.

(If you do start fresh, may I suggest you set it to auto-play? I love your playlist, too, but rarely remember to turn it on when I arrive...and by the time I've read down far enough to remember, I'm engrossed in your words...)

TigerYogiji said...

Delightful!

Butch said...

I'm truly impressed, you have the Ice Cream Truck's personal number!! Whenever you feel an ice cream attack coming on, give her a jingle. ;-)

Turkey in the Straw also comes with lyrics.

Unknown said...

Ah, waxing a bit poetic today... Thank you for the lovely garden tour. :)

And yes, I COULD go for some ice cream. I used to LOVE those strawberry shortcake bars... Mmmm....

Greg said...

Butch, I'll have to research those lyrics. Just last night, I was watching a clip on YouTube of the Animaniacs singing the state capitols to that tune!!

Sometimes, Jenn, when you've had ice cream before dinner and the summer nightsky is delightful, waxing poetic is the only option!

Sh@ney said...

I love the evening shots Greg, ah so pretty! And your garden has grown so quickly, well so it feels.

Looks great mate!

Anonymous said...

What beautiful prose (as always) that you have provided us. And I love your response to Dykewife.."They deserve our sympathy for their blindness." Last night's beautiful moon (at 2:00 AM this morning) was stunning. And a great selection of music on your blog soundtrack....Moonlight Sonata was quite relaxing. :-)

Greg said...

Hey Sh@ney!! It has all happened pretty quickly--just add water and sunshine! Of course, there were days when I waited for the seedlings to emerge when it seemed to be like watching grass gr - oh, right...well, you know...

Thanks for stopping by!

Afod, Moonlight Sonata sounds like the perfect accompaniment to last night's moon post...I just love the serendipity of the Random Play.

Curt Rogers said...

Poetry, my friend, pure poetry. Thanks for inviting us along to hear those sweet, hushed bedtime stories.