Doctor Summer strolls through the garden.
He pauses, basking in the glorious late summer light.
He reflects on what a strange season it has been.
You see, Doctor Summer is a specialist. A high-powered, in-demand specialist. He is a man of action and a man of results. Doctor Summer was sent to this region after a careful review of the data indicated that the fine folks of west central Indiana might be in need of his remarkable talents. The data showed that the so called “polar vortex” of early 2014 had been centered on this region. Indeed, the eye of the vortex, the small area where the polar energy swirled with the most intensity, had hovered directly over this region through January and February.
That, coupled with the fact that recent summers have been brutally hot in this region, caused the powers-that-be to become very concerned about the well being of the inhabitants of the region. The likelihood of widespread, severe mental instability appeared to be high, if not imminent. Doctor Summer was sent in to exercise his considerable gifts and talents. He was sent to save these poor people.
But something very strange occurred. The summer was not hot. It was cool, fresh and beautiful.
The inhabitants of the region did not go nuts. They went sane. Everybody responded to the lovely summer weather in a positive manner. All were well. All was well.
Doctor Summer, the man of action and results, found himself a man of leisure.
Such an unusual condition was uncomfortable at first. Summer felt that he should be working, not resting. He was agitated and anxious. Then, one day he left the clinic and took a leisurely stroll through the gardens.
He took a deep breath, allowed himself to feel the vibrant power of the life growing around him. He began to relax.
“Ahhhh,” he thought. “This is nice.”
Doctor Summer basked in the fresh light of the morning and let the worries of a long, productive career melt.
He basked in the glorious light for the whole day, reveling in the radiance well into the evening.
Doctor Summer found himself hoping the weather would hold, fervently wishing the people would remain healthy. For the first time in years, he did not feel a driving urge to work. He could just sit back, relax and enjoy.
He could lie down amidst the garden and soak in the soft shade and bright blue sky.
He could curl right up amidst the plants and dream.
He lie by the hour and ponder the ways of the universe.
Such a curious universe….
When he sought answers,
He was shown the way.
Doctor Summer enjoyed every single minute of this precious season. Now it concludes. It is time for him to leave this relaxing, refreshing place.
He wishes the people well. 
He suspects Fall will be cold and Winter will be brutal, yet he can’t help with that. He must move on. He did his part. He played his role. This year his role was easy. All were well. Doctor Summer will never forget the wonderful experience of 2014. 
In Jim's Garden 
This summer has been truly amazing! Love this post. Thanks for the smiles :~}
Yes, it has been an amazing summer. The smiles are on me. 🙂
Cool story and beautiful pictures 🙂
Thanks. Good fun to write and I love to capture the sunlight in the garden. 🙂
Your summer moved to North Cyprus so ya, boo, sucks to you for sending it our way! We’ve had a hottish June, a hotter July and a hellish August with temps mainly around 40C (about 104F) but made much worse by the intense humidity this year. It is such a relief that we’re down to the low 30C days now! Hope winter isn’t too brutal for you.
OK OK, so we got a break from the usual brutal business of summer around here. I’m running with it. Glad I wasn’t in Cyprus this summer. But fear not Crazy Crone, our fall is already starting out cold and wet and I suspect we’re headed into a winter for the ages. 🙂
Beautiful, especially those sun beams and leaves touched by the light!
Thank you so much. Yes, I love the pictures which capture the sun, the humidity and the garden blending, touching, beaming…. 🙂
You’re fortunate to live in such beautiful surroundings!
…lie down amidst the garden and soak in the soft shade and bright blue sky, lovely 🙂 He did his part, Thank you Doctor summer! Beautiful post, Jim!
Thank you Amy. So thrilled you like the post. The soft shade and bright blue sky…. that’s livin’. 🙂
And I shan’t forget your magic garden that you have shared with us this summer! Thank you 🙂
Oh good. Thanks for letting me share. Thanks for seeing the magic. Now it’s your turn…. 🙂
Your “Pointing the Way” photo is awesomely, stupendously, superbly amazing!
Oh thanks, Ann. That Praying Mantis literally crawled onto my camera, down my arm and off into the underbrush. I captured it escaping through the plant life and couldn’t resist using the photo with that caption, given that it was clearly pointing the way. I’m so glad you noticed. Perhaps my favorite photo of the post. 🙂
I’m glad that you had a nice summer, Jim. Here’s hoping winter will be kind as well.
Yes, we had a lovely summer. I’m generally an optimist, but I suspect winter will not be kind. The crust of the earth never really heated up this year and now the cold weather is coming. Yikes. I expect the birds will be hanging close to the feeder.
And here we have the welcome mat out for the good doctor. Loved your post! Here’s hoping your next visitor is in a benevolent mood.
Oh thanks. I appreciate the positive comment. The good doctor is headed your way. I hope you have a lovely summer. Good thing I like cold weather, as I suspect winter is going to be tough. I guess we’ll find out about the healing powers of Doctor Winter. 🙂
Gorgeous photos of natures finest! thank you!
You are most welcome. Thank you for noticing. And thanks for reblogging Firefox the other day. 🙂
My pleasure!
Amazing photos.
Thanks. It is quite the scene out there, but changing quickly now. 🙂
I’ll look forward to seeing the many changes in the garden this fall and winter. I enjoy your documentary of all the happenings in your garden.
Sharon
Thank you Sharon. Thanks for all your supportive comments. The changes have already begun. I captured most of those photos over a warm, late-summer weekend, after which we’ve had quite a bit of rain and cool weather. The garden is already showing the effects. Cheers. 🙂
It really was a good summer. I’m sitting inside as I read this and remembering how I was outside every possible moment this summer. Gonna miss that.
Yes, quite the summer it was. Beautiful, fresh weather day after day after day. Ample rain. A nice breeze. I’m gonna miss that too. I already do. 🙂
Such beautiful images, Jim. Your garden still seems to have a lot of flowers in the late season.
Hi Cynthia. In terms of blooms, we’re cranking into fall on the strength of zinnias, some orange wildflowers which I think are a form of magnolia, and good old geraniums. We also have a fresh crop of gloriosa daisies coming on. Maybe I’ll do a post on them in a few days. Mostly right now, though, the garden is matter of various textures and shades of green. Kinda cool. 🙂
Your garden is a work of genius. The contrasting colours, the contrasting textures of foliage, I love it all. I’m glad that slightly nutty weather hasn’t spoiled it at all.
Thank you. That is an amazing compliment, especially coming from one so clearly talented. I’m blushing but I guess you can’t see that. Trust me. I am. 🙂 The nutty weather has been a blessing. I haven’t noticed any ill effects and the gardens. And yes, the contrasting textures become a dominant feature of the gardens now as the blooms fade and the light changes. It is always interesting. 🙂
I love the fun you are having with your garden plants, love the stories.
We had a very nice summer too. Your pictures are just fantastic!!
Thanks Jim, You captured the mood perfectly, and all the small details,
With the back lighting and the sun creeping in just right for a hazy look.
I have experienced the magic of gardens like this.
But have never shown them as beautifully as you have.
Perhaps the storyline helped convey the feeling of me being there. _/\_
Thanks. That is a really nice compliment. Yes, I do love the effect of backlighting. It lends such a vital quality to the specimen. The story line is fun for me to imagine and write. Hopefully a good story makes the posts more engaging and interesting, though I’m sure some folks roll their eyes and move on. So thanks for letting me know that it helped convey the sense of the garden. That is most encouraging. Have a wonderful day! Thanks again! 🙂
I love your pictures (all of them!) What kind of camera do you use?
Thanks. My camera is a Sony Cybershot, 8.1 megapixel. It is a basic, point-and-shoot digital camera. It is fabulous on macro shots, excellent at capturing various moods of light but lacks much ability to zoom at any distance. I like it, but I’m hoping to add better zoom capability before the birds begin flocking to the feeder this winter. Have a great day. 🙂
Hi there Jim, fantastic post! It made me smile, I felt like that this summer, it was a gift (although it did get dry).
Thanks for the like on my post “Real Rain” on
uribotanicalgardens.wordpress.com
Best,
Gabrielle
Oh, and your photos and garden are BEAUTIFUL!