I. LOVE. SUMMER.

I Love Summer.  I always have and I always will.  I'm not apologetic about it.  It is by far my favorite season, and closely followed by Spring.

 Yes, there have been years long ago where the days of freedom and play grew old and I looked forward to the new clothes and school supplies and returning to the structure of the classroom and learning and reuniting with friends.  But the best times for me are when the skies are blue, the sun is hot, and the plants (yes, even the weeds, sigh,) are growing strong.

This summer has been different from any other for me.  The children are all adults, and most are working out of state.  We have had no major road trips, vacations, or reunions.  I miss the days of taking a passel of kids to the lake or the pool or the park and the library.  I even miss the days of trying to sneak in some work and keeping all of the chores and laundry done while trying to keep kids busy, productive, entertained and happy.  This year there have been small, quiet get-togethers with smaller than usual extended family groups for the July holidays, and my father's 90th Birthday back in May.  I have worked full time all summer long for the first time in my life (unless you count the summer where I worked and lived at a family camp . . . that was almost more enjoyment than work if you want to know the truth).  I have spent most of my time at work or in the classroom (last minute decision to take an evening class) and the weeds have run rampant in the garden between the infrequent rain showers and the almost daily watering (moving the hose from spot to spot in the yard in the gathering dusk.  No automatic sprinklers here!  :).  The garden is rather pitiful, but we have had a bountiful crop of strawberries, cherries and blackberries (and not nearly enough time to do them justice)  a few peas, and some promise of peppers and tomatoes and carrots and hopefully some squash and corn and beans.

But  . . . I STILL LOVE SUMMER!  I enjoy every possible moment of my lunch hour out in the heat and the sunshine.  I love trying to tackle the weeds and the sprinklers and the lawn mower.  I love driving in the middle of the day with the windows down, the very warm breeze blowing through my hair, the fluffy white clouds on the horizon contrasting with the deep blue of the sky.  I avoid air conditioning whenever possible, and only tolerate it on the muggiest days or to appease those around me who find no comfort in the heat.    I try not to notice that summer is slowly creeping to an end, because, I LOVE SUMMER and want it to stay around for a long long while.