When the corn is as high as an elephant’s eye I know we are in the height of summer. I learned this adage from a song we used to sing on canoe trips when I was a teenager. Decades later, as I drive my daughters to soccer along the rural roads of Grey County, I watch the corn grow higher as the summer weeks roll on and I still visualize a dusty grey elephant standing on the edge of the field, flapping the flies away with it’s big ears, and I try to gauge whether the corn is as high as an elephant’s eye.
Beyond the height of the corn, mid-summer shows me it’s here when my kids Crocs and t-shirts are sticky with ice cream, when the cicadas’ songs layer loudly in the afternoon, and when our paddling books and maps are strewn around the house as we plan our next trip.
The season is heavy with humidity, heat, storms and wildfire smoke and intense with light, energy, activity and late nights.
I try to slow down and keep my calendar open. I float down the Beaver River in a tube giggling with my girlfriends and delighting in the simple pleasures that the perfect amount of moving water, a winding river and sunshine can provide.
I got a little bit behind my group of friends as we floated down the Beaver River, but I didn’t mind. It was such a joyful and playful summer day.
September & October 2026 Climate Care Book Club
Mary Oliver and Barry Lopez have both left an incredible legacy of poetry and writing that can help us navigate our climate care work through connections to nature, spirit and resilience. Thank you Catherine Daw for these thoughtful suggestions for the coming months.
Wednesday September 9th at 7:30pm-9:30pm ET (Film screening + discussion) Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World, premieres on PBS August 25, 2026. We will watch together on Sept 9th. We will start at 7:30pm ET to allow 30 minutes for discussion.
Wednesday October 14th, at 8pm ET: We will discuss Embrace Fearlessly the Burning World (published 2023) by Barry Lopez, a collection of essays by one of the greatest nature writers and climate activists.
September 9tH, 7:30pm ET - Film Night& Discussion
Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World (1hr 31m) reveals the life and career of the best-selling poet and the inspiration behind her renowned works.
Mary Oliver, known for her insightful writing on nature, beauty and love, inspired many creative minds with more than 30 collections of poems and essays. Shaped by a solitary childhood, her love of nature, and a passion for writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt Whitman, Oliver solidified her place in the American poetry canon with notable poems like “Wild Geese” and “The Journey.”
- Episode Description, PBS
Wednesday October 14, 2026, 8pm ET
“An ardent steward of the land, fearless traveler, and unrivaled observer of nature and culture, Barry Lopez died after a long illness on Christmas Day 2020. The previous summer, a wildfire had consumed much of what was dear to him in his home place and the community around it—a tragic reminder of the climate change of which he’d long warned.
At once a cri de coeur and a memoir of both pain and wonder, this remarkable collection of essays adds indelibly to Lopez’s legacy, and includes previously unpublished works, some written in the months before his death.”
- Penguin Random House
Our book club is always welcoming new folks. Please feel free to share this email and post with family, friends, and colleagues who might be interested in joining. Subscribe to my newsletter to get the monthly updates and zoom links.
Enjoy these precious summer days and see you in September!
