Growing Heat, Growing Apples

At this time of year, the topic of conversation is the heat!

Either it is talking about how the heat is unbearable, or how the heat has been unbearable. And for us in more humid climates, higher temperatures also mean a heightened risk of thunderstorms. Oh, the drama!The darkness that descends, dim enough to even fool the fireflies at 4:00 pm that dusk has fallen, is otherworldly. Are we in the end times? No, just a big, fat cloud. And then, when the rain finally descends, it is all-encompassing. Everything stops - there can be no other thought except to embrace that we are in the midst of a storm and nature is in control.

It can be hard to relinquish control in our lives, but storms help us to do so. When the lights flicker and dim, we are reminded that power grids are susceptible. When the municipal pools shut down at the first sign of lightning, it doesn’t matter to Mother Nature if you have just arrived and started swimming — time to get out! In this season, we feel that nature will have its way whether we like it or not.

Yet, while we humans might grumble, groan, and pout about how plans did or did not turn out, other things steadily continue on without us noticing. I was reminded of this on a particularly cool, rainy day after the heat had passed. The apples hanging outside a small orchard near my neighborhood coffee shop had grown and swelled since I last visited a week and a half ago. Amid the heat and the storms, the apples were there, doing their thing. Being pomacious.

Glancing at them through the open window, I feel I have discovered the first flicker of the season's change. The summer solstice has passed, and the journey to winter begins. But first, there will be autumn - glorious autumn. And these apples, the size of a walnut today, will swell and grow like hanging, misty garnets.

So, despite the heat, the natural world carries on to the best of its abilities. It is a good reminder that we should, too.