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July 2023
and mornings when it's joy just to be alive.
July is a picnic and a red canoe and a sunburned neck
and a softball game and ice tinkling in a tall glass.
July is a blind date with summer.”
— Hal Borland, Sundial of the Seasons
It is to be hoped, no matter how much one loves the Summertime,
that the most devastating heat for this year, has preceded June into the
history books. Record-breaking temps have enveloped much of Oklahoma,
New Mexico, as well as here in Texas. Our local top record of 120 F
degrees wasn't broken locally, (we reached 114) but is no longer the
State record as the Corpus Christie area alongside the Gulf, upped it by
5 degrees with their day that climbed to 125 Fahrenheit degrees, while
your editor's first grandchild and her husband, (Melinda and Kenny
Smith) were there.
Our desire for this month is a reasonable mixture of sunshine
and summer showers, without severe weather or temperature related
catastrophes. Favorable temps, pleasant events, swimming, and plenty of
watermelon is requested!
"Introspective" by Thomas F. O'Neill, offers advice about
asking oneself about their true purpose in life. However, Mattie Lennon
's "Irish Eyes" lauds those who apparently have made great strides in
discovering those answers for themselves. He highlights some attendees
to the recent Dolly Day in Ireland gathering for a couple of charities
and their purpose of setting a Guinness record. Your editor hopes the
YouTube brief video works for you.
Rod Cohenour, still convalescing, touts his wife's delicious
Meatloaf for July's (but good whatever month) recipe in "Cooking with
Rod." Melinda Cohenour reveals a great deal of research compiled while
preparing her own column "Armchair Genealogy."
Danielle Cote Serar, whose column is "A Mother's Lesson,"
shows us what moms are prone to do when a child's birthday rolls around.
Judith Kroll's thoughts turned to what Treasures mean to us in "On
Trek." Marilyn Carnell, author of "Sifoddling Along," recalls memorable
personal July events. Pauline Evanosky goes into detail about
delivering messages -- when and if and how -- received from Spirit in
her column "Woo Woo."
John McGrath of Ireland, whose poem "Two Bridgets" was in
the March issue this year, has four to share this month. One recalls
times his mother was the "Driver," and one is a sonnet to an independent
young person, "December Wind." "Connemara Rain" sounds like July
weather far away, while memories are used in the descriptive verses
about "Cullatinny" and the house he was born in that, though among the
last to be abandoned in that area, was, many years ago. It includes a
recent photo.
"A Texas Summer" by John I. Blair, depicts quite a different
form of July weather. Walt Perryman has four poems, with one about his
"Wild Beast Safari," one titled "It's All Relative," also "Invitation
Thing," set during a reluctant period of his life, and the fourth with a
pic of himself taken on this recent Father's Day, "Happiness Ramble."
Bud Lemire's four poems, each with a pic he either took or
chose, are "A Friend Named Steve," "The World Has Changed," "They
Crossed Over," and one composed in June, "Every Place." The remaining
poem, written June 30, 2023, is from your editor: titled "Unpaved."
We are always happy to express our admiration and love for
our co-founder and webmaster, Mike Craner, whose knowledge and expertise
keeps Pencil Stubs Online actually online. We place our confidence in him as we have during the past, and we are now in our 26th year.
Click on author's byline for bio and list of other works published by Pencil Stubs Online.
This
issue appears in the ezine at www.pencilstubs.com and also in the blog
www.pencilstubs.net with the capability of adding comments at the
latter.
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