June

I gazed upon the glorious sky 

And the green mountains round, 

And thought that when I came to lie 

At rest within the ground, 

'T were pleasant, that in flowery June, 

When brooks send up a cheerful tune, 

And groves a joyous sound, 

The sexton's hand, my grave to make, 

The rich, green mountain-turf should break. 

A cell within the frozen mould, 

A coffin borne through sleet, 

And icy clods above it rolled, 

While fierce the tempests beat-- 

Away!--I will not think of these-- 

Blue be the sky and soft the breeze, 

Earth green beneath the feet, 

And be the damp mould gently pressed 

Into my narrow place of rest. 

There through the long, long summer hours 

The golden light should lie, 

And thick young herbs and groups of flowers 

Stand in their beauty by. 

The oriole should build and tell 

His love-tale close beside my cell; 

The idle butterfly 

Should rest him there, and there be heard 

The housewife bee and humming-bird. 

And what if cheerful shouts at noon 

Come, from the village sent, 

Or song of maids, beneath the moon 

With fairy laughter blent? 

And what if, in the evening light, 

Betrothèd lovers walk in sight 

Of my low monument? 

I would the lovely scene around 

Might know no sadder sight nor sound. 

I know that I no more should see 

The season's glorious show, 

Nor would its brightness shine for me, 

Nor its wild music flow; 

But if, around my place of sleep, 

The friends I love should come to weep, 

They might not haste to go. 

Soft airs, and song, and light, and bloom 

Should keep them lingering by my tomb. 

These to their softened hearts should bear 

The thought of what has been, 

And speak of one who cannot share 

The gladness of the scene; 

Whose part, in all the pomp that fills 

The circuit of the summer hills, 

Is that his grave is green; 

And deeply would their hearts rejoice 

To hear again his living voice. 

- William Cullen Bryant -

Hard to believe, isn't it?  Half the year is gone already. Six more months and the year is done. Yes, June has arrived, and with it, Spring ends and the official start of summer will soon be here. In the Southern hemisphere, winter begins during June, and it brings cold, rainy weather to this part of the world. June is the month with the longest daylight hours of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the shortest daylight hours of the year in the Southern Hemisphere.  Ah, yes, the wonderful childhood memories of June....

... The last day of the school year, saying good bye to friends and teachers, and taking the last bus ride home.  Yippee for summer vacation!!

...Staying  up late and sleeping out in a tent in my back yard.

...Five cent popsicles from the ice cream man. Remember the ice cream man?  Those were the days before Mr. Softee.

...Summers spent outside all day riding my bike, hopscotch,  jump rope, jacks, playing tag, 'Ring Around the Rosie', 'London Bridge',  lying on my back in the cool green grass of my front yard and watching the clouds.

...The best meatball sandwiches I ever ate.  Both mom and dad worked so I was one of the original latchkey kids.  Mom would leave me money for lunch, and I would head to this corner store where they made the best meatballs.  Try as I might, I have never been able to duplicate them.

...Going to a small amusement park called Bertrand's Island. the smell of cotton candy and candied apples, the 'Whip', aeroplane swing ride, the 'Wildcat Coaster'. Those were the days before I was scared to get on the rides.

...Long walks in the woods.  It was safe back then.

...Swimming at the lake...except during the dog days of summer.  In those days we had the polio scare and honestly  believed that the water grew contaminated during the hottest months of the summer.

...Picking grapes and strawberries in grandma's back yard.

The month of June was  named after the goddess, Juno, the wife of Jupiter, and queen of the gods. It was held sacred to her, and was thought by the Romans to be the luckiest month for marriage, since Juno was the goddess of marriage. Hence, June has become known as the month of marriage. The traditional June birthstone is the elegant pearl. The flower for the month of June is the rose, or the honeysuckle, as roses and honeysuckles bloom throughout June. June is also sometimes called the 'Rose month'. 

One ancient story relates that roses were thornless in the Garden of Eden. It was only after Adam and Eve were expelled that their thorns appeared. According to another ancient legend, the original rose that grew in the Garden of Eden was white, but turned red as it blushed with shame upon Adam and Eve's fall from grace. 

The Romans also created many stories about roses. One of the loveliest tell how Flora, the goddess of spring and flowers, begged the other gods to help change a dead friend into the Queen of the Flowers. After one of her nymphs dies, Flora calls upon the gods to change her into a beautiful flower. Apollo gave the breath of life; Bacchus bathed her in her nectar; Vertumnus, a beautiful perfume; Pomona, a fruit; and Flora, herself contributed a "crown" of petals. The result was the first rose.