Men’s stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning.
Ladies bathed before noon after their three o’clock naps.
And by nightfall were like soft teacakes
with frosting from sweating and sweet talcum.
The day was twenty-four hours long,
but it seemed longer.
~Excerpted lines from
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
by Harper Lee
I used to teach TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, and it was and is one of my favorite pieces of American literature. I especially loved this passage above as it described the older women of my childhood. Now that spring flowers have gone I’m like those ladies Harper Lee describes in her novel because by day’s end I am frosted with sweat and talc.
Spring flowers are long since gone.
Summer’s bloom hangs limp on every terrace.
The gardener’s feet drag a bit on the dusty
path and the hinge in his back is full of creaks.
~Louise Seymour Jones
Much of summer’s bloom hangs not just limp but some of it is fried to a crisp. As for my feet, they are dragging more than a bit on my dusty paths and “the hinge in his back is” definitely “full of creaks” so much so that it’s begging me daily to stop the torturous activity.
The summer days are fading, as they must
From endless hours to short and fleeting light
The bird’s once bright, immortal tune,
now cries A melancholy aura to the dusk.
~Shannon Georgia Schaubroeck
As night falls, the birds’ tunes are as melancholy as I feel, but my melancholy has nothing to do with lamenting the fading of summer. It has more to do with being weary from the long trek through the burning cathedral with a high pressure dome for a ceiling that is the reality of July and August in Texas. But I can’t say I wouldn’t do it all over again, for the garden feeds my soul and in it I find so many reasons to praise the Lord over and over again.
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if only you would hear His voice… ~Psalm 95:6-7 ✝
**All images via Pinterest; collage at top created by Natalie
Sacred Touches 
Ive never read to kill a mockingbird. We mostly had British literature in my English class. Somehow that book never quite appealed to me, but if you like it so much then maybe I should give it a go 🙂
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Oh I hope you’ll give it a try. Maybe it’s because I’ve lived in the south and through such things that it resonated with me! I absolutely adore the children in the story‼️😊❤️
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me and Trini—we also had some American Lit but lots of British lit—of which I enjoyed and still do, but there are a few American Classics that fell between the cracks of my lit days—and some classic movies that I just never have gotten around to seeing—with this being one of them…
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Oh I love the movie too! I’m sorry you missed them both❣😘
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Well said dear friend. That was a favorite of mine and loved the movie too. Still watch it whenever I get a chance. Each time I watch I get a new appreciation of the authors. Another classic movie I got a chance to watch awhile back was ‘The Old Man and the Sea’. Both take me back to easier and sweeter times of my life. ❤
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Oh that’s a favorite of mine too! Both are such great books and movies‼️👍❤️
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I loved the book. Her descripitons are spot on. Lovely post Natalie
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Yes it was a great description Raewyn‼️👍😊❤️
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I never read that book in school. But a few months ago I finally read the book. I loved it. Her “latest” book isn’t as good as To Kill A Mockingbird.
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Oh I’m sorry to hear that the latest one wasn’t as good! It would be hard to follow such a good one as the first❣😊
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