Cutting loose!

It is raining here right now. Pouring, in fact. Pouring with lightening and rumbles of thunder. I still have pots to plant and hoped to finish the job on this longest day of the year. Instead, I’ll stay put and work on my garden descriptions for the walk. First, I wanted to tell you about last night.

Last night was clear with perfect temperatures around 65° and low humidity. A half-moon night with stars emerging over the tops of the trees as we sat on lawn chairs, eating a picnic supper and listening to familiar strains of Kenny Loggins. Jennifer graciously joined to celebrate Father’s Day with a outdoor concert at the Morton Arboretum.

I love the Morton. It brings nature and joy to so many who live in the region and to so many others who visit from faraway lands. Last year we visited the

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, spring '09.

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and as we rolled in to the ticket gate, we flashed our Morton’s card, and were waved right in to “oh, yes, the Morton Arboretum, no charge”. Wherever you live, consider belonging to an arboretum or zoo in your region. You will help keep their efforts going in all things of nature, and your membership card will be a guest passport on your travels. We make a point of visiting our arboretum at least once each season – our rationale for the membership fee. We use it much, much more, however, as we drive out for a Sunday breakfast and walk after church or a slow, picturesque drive on New Year’s Day in the cold and snow. We walk around the Children’s Garden and can’t wait for the time that our Kezzie will be able to see all the tadpoles in spring and rearrange the rocks in the waterfall.

Last night we trudged up a hill with lawn chairs and cooler and all things picnic and waited in line for the gate to open. The “gate” was actually one of the Steelroot sculptures by Tobin that are throughout the arboretum this summer.

The second song was  “Return to Pooh Corner” that Tom so often sang to his girls, a Pooh Bear in hand, Eyore and Roo hiding somewhere, silliness and tickles at bedtime, squeals of “one more time, Daddy”. Good timing by Kenny on a Father’s Day night. Some of the songs were long – too long for the crowd on the lawn, but, the night bore on and the sky darkened and the tunes familiar. Swallows darted back and forth across the deepening day, and it was so pleasant to have Kenny and crew “Celebrate Me Home” and an encore into ” Danger Zone”, commercial jets, their lights visible, eerily flying high in the night sky. All too soon it was deeply dark, the crowd growing tired and starting to think about finding the car in the dark, piney woods. Time to get back to the house at Pooh Corner. Yep, time for everybody to cut loose!

This one is for you, Jennifer!

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