Top (and bottom) ten of summer
Ahhh, summer is upon us with its heavy, sticky hand. Today was, I believe, the hottest day so far this calendar year. Ken went jogging at 3pm (I know! What!?) and came back remarking that the heat wrapped around his legs like a thick pair of invisible sweat pants. Nice imagery. We all feel it with him, don't we?
So, in honor of the first day of the hottest month known to man, I give you my top...meaning good.... (and bottom...meaning not so good....) ten of summer:
TOP TEN
10. You can eat ice cream and not get goosebumps.
9. You can get extra exercise by pushing a push mower......every other day, with the way the grass is growing. You get extra kudos (and nods from neighbors) if you cut your lawn diagonally. Eh? Eeehhh?
8. The passion to read fiction is suddenly reignighted. You join the flocks to local libraries and bookstores, eager for a good read.
7. You get to go to one of the most beautiful parts of God's created earth....the seashore.
6. Garden produce runs rampant in your fridge, freezer, and hanging fruit baskets. You make veggie sandwiches that touch the ceiling, layer upon layers of green goodness from the raw earth's open palm.
5. You get the itch to go treasure hunting....yard saleing, auctions, dusty antique and curiosity shops, even under the couch cushions (looking for spare change so you can go out and buy a treat....see number 10 reference, above).
4. You smile when you see little kids in their yards, donned in skimpy swimsuits, running madly through sprinklers. It zaps you back 20 years to when you were one of those youngsters. You wonder if anyone'd notice if you did the same thing in your own yard when you got home from your errand-running.
3. Colors get pretty. I mean it. Just walk into Target. Everywhere you look...clothing, picnic paper products, jewelry, even toilet paper. Flashes and explosions of aquamarine, lilac, melon, and fuschia. Winter never seemed so blah.
2. No school.
1. Waking up to summer birds at 5:30 am....they chirp endlessly, way before you are ready to greet the world....but their songs are comforting nonetheless as you stretch under your covers and welcome in the day.
BOTTOM TEN
10. Summer colds. We've all had them. I have one right now. Colds in the summer means not being able to breathe the thick, humid air through sniffly noses.....that suddenly let loose when you step into air conditioning (have kleenex in hand). (sorry if TMI. it's true, though.)
9. Car air conditioners having ESP and conveniently fizzling out when June hits. Necessitates that all errand running be done between the hours of 8 am and 11 am, 8 pm and 10 pm.
8. Having to hear about all of the injuries....water skiing mishaps, firework scalds, broken bones from hiking adventures. Some adults can't call it summer unless they have a skint knee.
7. Mosquito breeding grounds. We forget about these creatures every year, then complain about them until they are dormant again.
6. Those smelly, freaky trucks that go all over the town spraying pesticide on afore-mentioned mosquitoes. I recall many a night we'd be outside enjoying a leisurely summer dinner al fresco, then having to run frenziedly into the house, fingers fumbling to try to cover our food and drink, freaking out that the poison has settled into our ingestibles.
5. Sunburn. I mean, sunburn so bad you have to take a cold shower. I mean, sunburn so bad you have to flip your pillow every 0.34 seconds to find a cool spot. Ouch.
4. Trying to plan a trip to the beach without letting it land on any kind of festivity week....be it bikers, bald bikers, or national teacher's convention.
3. Having to buy special shampoo to wash out chlorine. Gosh, these guys sure make the dough. With all of the highlights, it's guaranteed that their products will fly off the shelves so investments can be protected.
2. No school. By this, I mean that there are kids EVERYwhere. Running into your shopping cart, darting into the street after a ball, and ducking underneath the stall to play peek-a-boo when you're either in a restroom or dressing room.
1. The fact that summer is short, and that winter seems so long. As miserably hot as it gets, I still love summer, and it's over way too quickly. Soon we find ourselves sulking in sad memory of frisbee tournaments at dusk and picnics in the park. Can't summer last all year?
Enjoy your summer.
So, in honor of the first day of the hottest month known to man, I give you my top...meaning good.... (and bottom...meaning not so good....) ten of summer:
TOP TEN
10. You can eat ice cream and not get goosebumps.
9. You can get extra exercise by pushing a push mower......every other day, with the way the grass is growing. You get extra kudos (and nods from neighbors) if you cut your lawn diagonally. Eh? Eeehhh?
8. The passion to read fiction is suddenly reignighted. You join the flocks to local libraries and bookstores, eager for a good read.
7. You get to go to one of the most beautiful parts of God's created earth....the seashore.
6. Garden produce runs rampant in your fridge, freezer, and hanging fruit baskets. You make veggie sandwiches that touch the ceiling, layer upon layers of green goodness from the raw earth's open palm.
5. You get the itch to go treasure hunting....yard saleing, auctions, dusty antique and curiosity shops, even under the couch cushions (looking for spare change so you can go out and buy a treat....see number 10 reference, above).
4. You smile when you see little kids in their yards, donned in skimpy swimsuits, running madly through sprinklers. It zaps you back 20 years to when you were one of those youngsters. You wonder if anyone'd notice if you did the same thing in your own yard when you got home from your errand-running.
3. Colors get pretty. I mean it. Just walk into Target. Everywhere you look...clothing, picnic paper products, jewelry, even toilet paper. Flashes and explosions of aquamarine, lilac, melon, and fuschia. Winter never seemed so blah.
2. No school.
1. Waking up to summer birds at 5:30 am....they chirp endlessly, way before you are ready to greet the world....but their songs are comforting nonetheless as you stretch under your covers and welcome in the day.
BOTTOM TEN
10. Summer colds. We've all had them. I have one right now. Colds in the summer means not being able to breathe the thick, humid air through sniffly noses.....that suddenly let loose when you step into air conditioning (have kleenex in hand). (sorry if TMI. it's true, though.)
9. Car air conditioners having ESP and conveniently fizzling out when June hits. Necessitates that all errand running be done between the hours of 8 am and 11 am, 8 pm and 10 pm.
8. Having to hear about all of the injuries....water skiing mishaps, firework scalds, broken bones from hiking adventures. Some adults can't call it summer unless they have a skint knee.
7. Mosquito breeding grounds. We forget about these creatures every year, then complain about them until they are dormant again.
6. Those smelly, freaky trucks that go all over the town spraying pesticide on afore-mentioned mosquitoes. I recall many a night we'd be outside enjoying a leisurely summer dinner al fresco, then having to run frenziedly into the house, fingers fumbling to try to cover our food and drink, freaking out that the poison has settled into our ingestibles.
5. Sunburn. I mean, sunburn so bad you have to take a cold shower. I mean, sunburn so bad you have to flip your pillow every 0.34 seconds to find a cool spot. Ouch.
4. Trying to plan a trip to the beach without letting it land on any kind of festivity week....be it bikers, bald bikers, or national teacher's convention.
3. Having to buy special shampoo to wash out chlorine. Gosh, these guys sure make the dough. With all of the highlights, it's guaranteed that their products will fly off the shelves so investments can be protected.
2. No school. By this, I mean that there are kids EVERYwhere. Running into your shopping cart, darting into the street after a ball, and ducking underneath the stall to play peek-a-boo when you're either in a restroom or dressing room.
1. The fact that summer is short, and that winter seems so long. As miserably hot as it gets, I still love summer, and it's over way too quickly. Soon we find ourselves sulking in sad memory of frisbee tournaments at dusk and picnics in the park. Can't summer last all year?
Enjoy your summer.
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