Watermelon Fun

Five little girls one summer's day
Went to the garden to laugh and play.
But when the sun so hot did grow
And no cooling breeze did blow...

​Grandma had the perfect treat
Watermelon red and sweet!

Slippery, sloppery!
Splittery, splattery!

Juice - a -running
Seeds -a - spitting
Underneath the shade a sitting

There's nothing like the summer treat
Of watermelon and bare feet!

© written by Christine Summerfield/August 25, 2018

Flowers I Can Eat
In the days of winter cold I eat my salad green
Spinach, kale and rainbow chard, leeks long and lean.
But in the spring and summer days, it's full of colorful hues
Reds and golds and oranges, purples, pinks and blues.
For my garden is full of flowers that give me tasty treats
I discover all the blossoms I can safely eat.
For starters there's nasturtiums red that add a little spice
The leaves so round are edible too, you get to eat them twice!
The sunflowers and calendula stand up straight and bold
They add the colors warm and bright with their petals gold.
And if you want a little touch of rich and velvety sheen
Sprinkle roses on the top-you'll feel just like a queen!
The bachelor buttons in summer time add a lovely cornflower blue
And borage helps me remember a perfect star so true!
And don't forget the little ones who live just at your feet
Johnny Jump Ups and violets bring a purple sweet.
And if it's fragrance that you want I have the perfect plants
Lavender buds so soft and warm make me dream of France.
And now there's all the herbal ones that when they start to blossom
Just snip the flowers from the top and in your salad toss 'em!
Oregano and lemon balm chamomile and thyme
Add a little bit of zest lemon and even lime!
So when I make my summer salad, I take my big, round bowl
And walk around my garden green for a little stroll.
I sprinkle all the petals in, the biggest and the least
It turns into a festival, a colorful, happy feast!
And when I gently snip the flowers in evening summer light
I say a thank you to each one for sharing their beauty bright.
You too can grow a little garden in spring or summer heat
And you'll discover all the fun flowers you can eat!

Apple Tree Branch
Another branch that reaches out and hangs over me
Is full of leaves and tiny fruit from my apple tree.
Your apples now are small and hard with a color of yellow-green
And on the end of each round fruit a star can be seen.
Each day you grow in summer time in rays of sunny gold
Until one day at Michaelmas your apples we'll behold.
And then they will be round and red with a flavor oh-so-sweet
And I will pick your fruit each day and eat and eat and eat!
Your branches they will gracefully bend towards the ground below
Feeding lots of animals: the squirrels, deer and crow.
But now it is the summer time and I watch the squirrels nibble
On your sour apples green and listen to them squibble.
But I know that your fruit will grow and I will surely wait
Until the autumn days grow cool in September late.
And I can dream of apple treats but the best one by and by
Will be the one I like the best: delicious apple pie!