I'm a summer lover. Give me long, light-filled days, blue skies, lush trees and flowers, garden-fresh tomatoes, the scent of neighbor's grilling wafting through the air, and bare feet any day. Of course, I don't like the intense heat that we sometimes get and the humidity gets ridiculous, but like Brian says, "You don't have to shovel sunshine."
Summer, for us, is also filled with birthdays. Our firstborn son, Philip (may he RIP) was born July 21st.
Me, my mom, and Brian have summer birthdays, too.
Last year, my birthday brought a derecho. We spent the afternoon in the basement due to tornado warnings. This year, intense thunderstorms knocked down trees and power lines all over our neighborhood. We were without power for 22 hours! Next year, I'm skipping town.
We've managed to sneak in some summer day trips; our last one being to Milwaukee, Wisconsin....
This summer has flown by. It always does. The season is too short here in Illinois. I still have a summer bucket list of places I wanted to visit.
I've been seeing fall decor on blogs and on Instagram already and I'm just not ready. I don't like rushing seasons (except winter 😜) or holidays. Technically, we still have three weeks of summer left. I suppose that still gives me some time to fit in some of those places on my summer bucket list.
But here we are, September 1st already. The perennials are fading and drying up, it gets dark at 7:30 now, the neighborhood is quiet during the day with children being back in school, dried leaves are littering the ground; even the air smells different. This time of year always makes me a little melancholy.
"How softly summer shuts, without the creaking of a door."
(Emily Dickinson, 1880)
(Emily Dickinson, 1880)
I've not heard the term derecho so had to look it up. We get something here called surryat (sp?) which is a quick moving wind storm that normally comes through around dusk. They can cause quite a lot of damage in a short amount of time which is the opposite of a derecho that has sustained winds. I'm always ready for summer to be over here since winter is the best time of the year in the desert. Time to start growing things again so I need to get to planting. My cantaloupe have survived the summer, now to see if they fruit this season. Kids here were supposed to start school this month, but once again, the Ministry has delayed it. The plan now is for October. These poor kids haven't been inside a school building since Jan/Feb of 2020. Take care and enjoy your days.
ReplyDeleteLike Tammy, I too had to look up 'derecho' - a new term to me, thanks for sharing that!
ReplyDeleteWe actually got a little rain yesterday - tail end of Hurricane Ida - hadn't seen a drop in several weeks and the garden is screaming out for moisture.
Love the pic of you, Brian and your mom - glad you are able to get out and about some and enjoy these last days of summer. Hope your winter will be a mild one.
Hugs - Mary
"You don't have to shovel sunshine." That is a great quote.
ReplyDeleteSummer always does go too fast, doesn't it? August was a bit too muggy here for my taste, but it was sunny, so that was lovely. I'm glad you enjoyed your birthday month! Fall is my favorite season because of the cooler weather. Here's to sitting outside more! :)
I am a summer lover through and through, I'm not ready for it to end. And you don't have to shovel sunshine is going to be my new mantra! Great saying!!
ReplyDeleteYikes! You have had some storms!! Happy Belated Birthday. I don't like to rush seasons either.
ReplyDeleteLove Brian's saying. And the line from Emily Dickinson. I always love getting a glimpse of your day trips. We need to do more of those. I love the fall, but I like all the seasons. Especially the 'in-between' times when the seasons are changing.
ReplyDeleteI'm a summer girl, too. Or at least spring. I like fall but I know winter follows and I don't like it very well. I think it's mostly the lack of light.
ReplyDeleteI had hoped for a fun summer and we did at least get a trip to New Orleans to celebrate our 40th anniversary. Unfortunately Covid went wild afterwards and that ended our summer plans. Oh, well...there's always next summer. :)
Melanie, I've never seen the Emily Dickinson quote before. It's very special, isn't it? Not being a summer girl myself, I admit that I've loved this summer so much, at my age just being grateful to be here for it. And even though I'm an autumn girl I'm happy to take its approach one day at a time, grateful for each day's blessings. This mornings cool temps is a delightful promise of more to come before long.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the pictures and account of your recent days, just wish that the weather had been more pleasant for you. I thought about you during that time of no power or water and having to deal with a refrigerator full of food gone bad and hope it doesn't happen next year on your birthday. Surely the odds are with you to be better next year! Enjoy the rest of the summer. I know the cold days you dread will be here before you know it.