With all the cares of the world and nation and work and children and home, there remains something beautiful about this time of year.

The daylight stretches into bonus hours. Cucumbers and squashes have been forced into pickling jars and left on neighbors’ steps. Snap beans are ready to pick and make a delightful side dish with new potatoes. Corn and tomatoes promise to arrive very soon and some lucky gardeners have them now. Cantaloupes are nearly ripe and the watermelon patch shows promise.

Annual flowers and magnolias alike brighten the landscape. Crape myrtles will blossom very soon and stay and stay, and will trump other trees with their glow.

Droughts, hurricanes, and other blights of the hot weather have not yet arrived. Enjoy the bounty and the beauty while they last. ...