One of the most charming giants of the garden has been its summer show, as the cup plant is sprinkling the sky with its sunbursts of blooms. The yellow finches have returned as well, and the other morning I watched a hummingbird dart from flower to flower. The cup plant gets its common name from where the leaves attach to the sturdy square stems, forming little cups where rainwater collects and offers drinks to the birds and the bees and the butterflies.
The blooming period of this plant has traditionally signaled the arrival of high summer. It feels a little earlier this year, which is the way the world has been headed. Faster and faster, with nary a moment to slow down. And so I make the pause, trying to stop the day, and mostly failing in the effort. As soon as something happens it is gone from the mind – only once in a while can I imprint a new memory. Maybe these aren’t days I’ll want to remember.
