by
Jean Hughes
August 14, 1995

In August, the woods is a brambly jungle. Today I walk through wildflowers that are taller than I am. The only light I can see comes from straight up. The green promise has been abundantly fulfilled in fields and woods. Deep, hot summer is upon us. One cool breeze is more appreciated than snow on Christmas Eve.

At the end of day, I trudge back up a path toward home. I am hot, but there is a lilt in my heart, for the music of the summer evening greets me.

There is a different chorus in the woods at every twilight: humming and strumming, steady rattling of the castanets of katydids, tree frog solos, sawing and chomping of crawling creatures, whirs of lucid wings, hoots of owls, burps of frogs and redbird swains serenading pink clouds.

* * *
Every day, nature beats a path to my door and weaves its wonders along my woods' trails and streams. Today, boneset blooms with honey fragrance, and sweet joe-pye and delicate scented bergamot plants are in flower. All these beauties are in one spot - - and there is all the world!


August is the time to glean gardens and orchards and fields. Sweet red plums thud to earth and I make jelly that will be used for jelly rolls when winter comes. Apple butter simmers on the stove and sends its fragrance through the house. Peaches are ready to make into jam and cobblers.

This recipe has been a favorite in the South for over 100 years. I was skeptical, but I found out that those Southern women know their dumplings. I call this dish "The Big Dumpling" but they call it cobbler.

Southern Peach Cobbler
In a bowl, mix: 1 3/4 cups flour, 1 t. salt, 2 t. baking powder, 
1 t. sugar and 1/2 t. baking soda.
Cut in: 5 T. butter.
Stir in: 1 cup buttermilk.
Spread dough in a buttered 2 qt. casserole dish.
Place in a pan: 6 cups sliced peaches, 1 1/2 cups sugar and
1 1/2 cups water. 
Bring mixture to boiling. Pour over dough in baking dish.
With a large spoon, gently lift the dough until it floats.
Dot dough with 1/4 cup butter. 
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve warm.

At the first break of dawn, I walk along my roadside. From the dew-drenched trees, the birds sing soft, musical poetry. The eastern sky is lit by the rising sun, while the moon lingers above the trees in the west - - the true merging of day and night.

Along the woods' edges, the panorama of every hue of green waves in the breeze. Layered sassafras, feathered locust, white-backed maples and fairy-silk aspens blend into a verdant, craggy mountain that juts into the sky. Hanging in masses along the roadsides are pale green elderberries, grass green rose hips and the white green four-cornered seed pods of the wahoo tree.

A pink-edged sulphur flutters above the first aster blooms by my dooryard gate. Big patches of coneflowers fill the pockets along the road. A blue heron, stiff legs trailing behind, flaps his way across the field.

I have just walked down the path to the little creek that runs and maneuvers around the hills, and down to the big creek. It whispers to the rocks of cloudbursts and soft rains that sprinkle on its surface. It reflects sunrises and sunsets, and the trees that hang over its banks. It sparkles in the sunshine and turns to silver in the moonglow. It is a solitary bit of water. It has no fish big enough for catching and is not deep enough for a boat. It is a walker's stream, but few human feet seek it. It is a quiet place, and is in perfect harmony with the laughter of the children who come here with me. It is a lovely spot among thousands, millions, billions of such spots on this earth. It is but one of the simple, everyday things that give life happiness.

Joy fills my heart as I slosh along in this wet woods' path. How I love to stroll in creek beds. I wear boots, summer and winter, so I am always ready for taking a walk through gently moving water, through nature's mirrors.

Copyright 1995, Jean Hughes.

Jean's book of ramblings and recipes "A Country Mile of Winter" and her book of poetry "The Earth's My Home" are available for $4.95 each plus $1.30 for postage and handling. Her nature letter "Diary of a Back Yard Naturalist", published 5 times yearly, is available for $12.50 per year. Ten of Jean's favorite recipes will be included free with each book or nature letter ordered. Order from...

Country Mile Publications
616 E. Monroe St.
Delphi, Indiana 46923

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