And the Seasons, They go Round and Round

"And the seasons, they go round and round"

You can't tell it by the extremely hot weather, but the season is already changing around here.

In the last few weeks, summertime reigned along with the heat. Family, friends, gatherings, gardening, food, flowers, music and sports. Boys and girls in and out of the house. Slamming doors. Lightning bugs. Rocking on the front porch. Loud rowdy times and quiet conversations.

We had our Back to School Pizza Gathering at the Mayos that we renamed the Back to Fall Pizza Gathering. This started out as a last hurrah before the children headed back to school or off to college. The big change for us this year is that David is heading off to the working world. 1000 miles away. But he has a great adventure ahead of him and as Marta said, "It's another chapter".

So, we had several more gatherings to give David time to say goodbye to some folks. A few college friends drove up for poolside fun and dinner. Julia, Maggie, Lynn, and Little Will met with us at Sister's for lunch one day. And we met Mama and Daddy at - where else - Wendy's.

Daddy had some good going away advice for David like - "if you watch your pennies, the dollars will take care of themselves." And he had some advice for me as well. He said, "You know, when I take the Momma Cows away from the Baby Cows, they cry for a couple of days. But then they quit."

Just like Daddy to relate everything to cows.

Somewhere in the middle of all this activity, Connie, Cindy and I enjoyed a concert at Flat Rock Playhouse. Tom Fisch and Julie Foldesi played the songs of James Taylor and Joni Mitchell. All of the songs were great but the song that keeps playing in my mind is by Joni.

"And the seasons, they go round and round. And the painted ponies go up and down"

The image of painted ponies made me want to go to the Shelby City Park Carousel and take a picture of Miss Ruby, the carousel pony that is named after Mama. The City Park Carousel is beautifully restored and is a real treasure for all of us who remember going there as children. Then going there with our own children.

With the Joni Mitchell tune still going around and around, I couldn't remember all of the lyrics. So of course I googled them and they couldn't have been more beautiful. Or more real. Or more timely.

Circle Game by Joni Mitchell

Yesterday a child came out to wonder
Caught a dragonfly inside a jar
Fearful when the sky was full of thunder
And tearful at the falling of a star

Then the child moved ten times round the seasons
Skated over ten clear frozen streams
Words like when you're older must appease him
And promises of someday make his dreams

And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game *

Sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone now
Cartwheels turn to car wheels thru the town
And they tell him take your time it won't be long now
Till you drag your feet to slow the circles down

So the years spin by and now the boy is twenty
Though his dreams have lost some grandeur coming true
There'll be new dreams maybe better dreams and plenty
Before the last revolving year is through

And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game