Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-08-19
This and That
By Charles Z. TrnceweH

ARLINGTON, VA.
Dear Sir:
1T passes so quickly, the lovely summer
time.
Almost any day now If we look and listen
closely We can detect the seasons change.
the light of early afternoon is more tras-
parent, the song of the birds more plaintive.
We grow melancholy as we sigh, Goodbye,
goodbye to summer We realize the long rich
days and velvet soft nights will soon be gone.
We complained because they were hot and
failed to revel in their glowing sunshine, their
star-ighted shadows. Now the silent shrouded
daughters of the sun begin to draw their
mantles close in leaving we remember with
regret their wealth of joy and beauty.
1T ends so soon-the song OF summer time.
when June woke the birds at day break,
they nearly burst their little Threats with
happiness as they called to one another in the
starred branches of the dogwoods, but we
didn't leave our beds to listen. All day they
sounded their high sweet notes. while every
where in the land there was the murmur of
streams hurrying over cool, brown sands to the
sea, as the great nature orchestra sounded
thousand elf-like notes, but We were listen
Ing to the radio and could not hear the
music
Every flower that bloomed was q miracle
to adore, but We looked ut senseless, ugly
things instead of blossoms. Each night
throughout the summer We might have round
ed the sky with the flaming wonders of the
zodiac, We chose to close our eyes in sleep.
Summer time, when heliotrope blooms to
mark the flight of years and saliva burns its
torch for youth. When Ike Marvel wrote his
ever lingering chapters on summer, discerning
women bought their flowers with close-cut
stems to be placed in silver spergnes which
bore aloft graceful figures. These made q
lovely and delicate ornament.
Summer time, when purple wisteria blooms
lighted the semidark Of balconies and porches
of the past. Dolly Madison must have loved
the wisteria that grew about and near her
home on Lafayette Square. One huge knotted
vine may still be seen. though much reduced
in the past 10 years.
Summer time, when friends sang at night,
on town stoops or out under the sky in the
country Very few OF the recent songs hold
up beside the haunting melodies and words
of Lorena,' 'Tenting Tonight on the Old Camp
Grounds Then You'll Remember Me- sung
to the accompaniment of guitar or mandolin
When the crowd sang The Suns Low Down
IN the Sky, Lorena,' the singers eyes would
I'LL with tears, for summer time brought a
vague sweetness like the breath of the Madeira
vines white blooms now seldom grown, or
clematis on garden walls
Summer time, time of ennui and procrasti-
nation. Later, when Libra and restless Scorpio
are in the ascendant, we will be afire with
ambition, while now we only yearn to gather
up al the Kindness Of the months just passed
for adding to the days that still remain to
be labeled Summer in the memory book
OF the year. Sincerely A. G. g."
q
Locust leaves are falling
They are infallible signs Of the end Of
summer.
Blue jays, with mighty squawks, have come
to clean out the house cutters.
This free service Is rendered each year about
this time.
The jays ny into the cutters on the front
OF the house, and peck at the mixture Of
old leaves and just plain street dirt that man
ages to collect there
In the very heavy rain, the water would not
run along the cutters, and so did not take the
downSpout way to freedom
Instead, the water fell down between gutter
and house wall and set up roaring remind
ing one of airplanes, or distant thunder.
I'VE will have to get somebody to clean out
the gutter
But the jays did it first!
They came in with yell, and in 10 min
utes had strewn the walks and the lawn with
mounds of black debris.
And that next rain ran along peacefully,
down the spouts and away along the drive
way, as civilized rain should.
Thanks to the Jays, useful and beautiful
hAyds and heInera of mankind.