There are certain things that simply belong to summer.
Fresh tomatoes still warm from the garden.
Homemade ice cream.
The happy sounds of children splashing in the water.
The crack of a bat at a baseball game.
Sweet tea and watermelon on a hot afternoon.
The smell of freshly cut hay.
Honeysuckle drifting on the evening breeze.
Backyard barbecues.
The distant hum of a lawn mower somewhere down the road.
And, if you ask me . . . .
Butterflies and fireflies.
February can feel long.
Not dramatic. Not tragic. Just . . . . long.
The trees are bare. The color has drained from the fields. The air moves a little slower.
And yet — there is motion.
A flutter in the honey locust.
A finch on the ledge.
A woodpecker arriving like he owns the place.
February is National Bird Feeding Month.
And it is not only about enjoying the view.
It is about helping birds make it through winter — and preparing the ones who are about to arrive after journeys that stretch farther than we can easily imagine.
The Front Porch by James Milson 