Sitting on the Writing Porch reminds me of my youth in Eldorado. It is 7:30, and the Sun is setting slowly. The shadows are long on the freshly mowed grass. Another week has passed. The journey is quick, the moments are memorable. No one needs to do our thinking for us; we do that for ourselves. Life is quiet on a summer evening.

Neva J loved summer. She loved to play badminton. She was a good badminton player. Ivy and Bob, Steve and Susie came over. Steve put on a marionette show. Steve made the marionettes real human. He spoke in different voices and accents for each of them. They spoke to Billy B as if they had always known him. The marionettes were survivors. They came from Germany during World War II. They had been owned by a Jewish Family. They had souls, I swear. One had a cracked leg, another a broken arm. They did not smile; they looked like life.

Ivy and Neva J played badminton. Neva J was young and full of vigor and vitality. She read a book a week. She loved to read about Edgar Cayce, the Sleeping Prophet. Edgar Cayce diagnosed many diseases and their cures in his sleep. He also saw the future. Neva J was a seeker.

Brooks Pond is serene. The Great Blue Heron is fishing. Bullfrogs are practicing the musical scales for tonight’s performance. A frisky squirrel played in the Woods this morning. He ran up the tree and stared at the Old Man. Mr. Squirrel and the Old Man both wondered what the other was thinking.

There is talk of the 4th of July, with good reason; it is close by. Our nation is 250 years old. I remember the celebration for the 200th birthday of Uncle Sam. The high school male teachers grew beards to celebrate. I thought 200 years was long; now I am seeing the 250th! We Americans were once proud of our shared identity. We cared for the stranger and the refugee. We were the ‘lighthouse on the hill that overlooked life’s seas.’ Freedom of religion included no religion if chosen. We were the people who had escaped oppression and welcomed others to escape also.

The Sun is fascinating. When you see it set over the ocean, it will leave you speechless. We are active members in a pristine parade of life. Watching the Sun set over Brooks Pond is complete joy.