All mimsy were ye borogoves

I’ve never had a clue what this line from Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky” means, but to me, just the sounds of it describe our ride this early morning. Ye borogoves were all mimsy with Michaelmas and ox-eye daisies, Queen Anne’s lace, blue spiderwort and pink phlox, milkweed, hairy vetch (purple), orange daylilies ,  ripening red blackberries, wild onions (purple), low bindweed, deadly nightshade and  New Jersey tea (white), crimson honeysuckle, butterfly weed, rabbit ‘baccer, butter-and-eggs and dandelions.

I’m sad we don’t have bastard toadflax (that I know of) because it’s my new favorite wildflower name.

When we first got to the bottom of our hill, turned off the gravel and rode out onto the Kennedy Creek bottom land planted in corn, a red-tail hawk floated overhead, the sun shining through its rosy tail feathers. For the rest of the ride, though, I pretty much focused on the coffee and  zucchini bread planned for breakfast. That and the need to shampoo my mare’s white (now orange) mane and tail. (If I have a next horse, it will match our red Carolina clay.)

As part of trying to become a smaller person physically, I’m out in the early mornings to do something physical before the temperatures hit steambath level. As part of trying to become part of a larger world than the one I’ve got used to in the last 23 years, I hope I’m listening and observing more keenly. We’ll see.

Cabbage rolls around here right now like heads during the Reign of Terror. This morning I made slaw for a graduation party tonight with regular cabbage, red cabbage, Chinese cabbage, currants, toasted almonds and grated carrots, dressed it with equal parts plain yogurt and low-fat mayonnaise, lots of white pepper and salt (most of these folks will have been out on their horses in the heat of the day), the juice of one lemon and 2 teaspoons sugar (this is a BIG bowl of slaw).

Another picnic tomorrow and I’m taking more deviled eggs and a loaf of zucchini bread with brown sugared cream cheese. And another 10 pounds of zucchini just walked in the door. Along with two baskets of potatoes, one white and one red. Summertime and the livin’ is all about vegetables.