By Sarah West

Eliminating the noise, finger swipes across glass; return to home screen, folded case, closed. Uncorked Pinot poured o’er berries, brandy and ice. Citrus, basil and melon are immersed in one of my preferred white wines. Sangria sparkles in the sunlight. Fluid crystals drip down the side of the carafe. Balmy fragrances of lavender and mint drifts through the air.
Before dinner is plated, I return to the garden, remove a few weeds and thin out overgrown lemon thyme. I transplant it, alongside other bordering plants with perfumes that will enchant my outdoor reading at dusky light. Flora that will billow and sway from elevated containers are now planted. Pale colors are paired with those of deeper textures and hues. Magenta and Spanish Yellow near Periwinkle and my favorite, Rosemary Tuscan Blue.
A floral pattern linen is spread over the rustic farmyard table. A white platter of melon, berries and citrus is served with a simple salad of fresh greens, marinated olives and herbs and mozzarella. Sangria is poured, first white then red, reflecting the mid-spring sunset. The white is pleasant and bright, ideal for a luncheon one early afternoon. I prefer the red, marvelous with all the complex elegance of a bouquet in hues of crimson and violet, accompanied by excellent dark chocolate.
The light tapers with leisure sips, as books are opened, pages flip, and experiences are shared.
Compelled to write a thought down, I untie the strap wrapped ‘round my journal, and pen the thought then another. Moments like this, perhaps should be written and shared. In length beyond that of newsfeed, I find it best to think on this, write the thought, and experience it rather than scrolling passed it. Sun-like streams of honey, then pale pink and purple; the trees are laced in early greens of sage casting shadows until twilight.
Sarah West serves the Opelika Observer as a contributing columnist, with written works of Cultural Arts relevance and prose. She is a preservation, and conservation advocate, activist, and visual artist of American Illustration with a focus on Regional Narrative Painting. She is founder of the Sarah West Gallery of Fine Art, A Center for Cultural Arts, Smiths Station, Alabama’s premier fine arts destination. She is the appointed Official Artist to the City of Smiths Station, a Lee County syndicated columnist, the director of her art center’s Cultural Arts Outreach Initiative which partners with local schools to make the arts accessible to all. She also serves a chief curator to the City of Smiths Station, City Hall Art Galleries. She is a founding member of the Smith Station Historic Commission. She is a member of the Women’s Philanthropy Board- Cary Center, Auburn University College of Human Science. She is an elected member of the Society of Illustrators- NYC. She mentors art students of every age through weekly classes at her studio located in the heart of Smiths Station, Alabama.
To learn more about her work and activism visit, www.thesarahwestgalleryoffineart.com.