Summer is one of those words that means different things to different people.
For instance if you are talking to a child of school age I bet they would tell you the best part is that school is out and they get to go swimming.
But when I got to thinking about "summer" and what it meant to me, I realized that it is so many things. It is all the flowers that grow and the veggies too. The birds and the bees that flit from bloom to bloom. And how about the fireflies that flicker in the trees at night. There is the beautiful sunrises and the darkness that doesn't fall till almost 10pm. And lets not forget green, everything is so green. But not one shade of green, yet so many shades that we could never name them all.
How about the smells of summer? There is the fragrance of those flowers and how about freshly mown grass? And the scents of the fruit harvest. The smell of burgers cooking on the grill. Oh, and how about the smell of Coppertone or Hawaiian Tropic?
And it would not be summer without all the tastes of the season! The sweet wetness of an ice cold watermelon is hard to beat on a hot day. Or that sweet tartness of some fresh squeezed lemonade. A tall glass of "sweet tea" is just the best! And then I think of the handfuls of juicy strawberries, blackberries and mulberries that never make it to become a pie. Grilled anything is a sure taste of summer. Now I know we can grill anytime of the year, but it always seems to taste better in summertime.
Now the sounds of summer are something we can enjoy even when we it is dark outside and we can't see a thing. The Crickets chirping. The baby Hoot Owls coming on to their voice is always a surprise in the dark. Both to me and the baby hoot owl! And if you are lucky enough to be near a body of water you will be gifted with the mating sounds of the Bullfrog. From time to time late in the evenings I will hear a Coyote sounding off from the ridge above our house. And early in the morning before the sunrises I can almost always hear the wild turkeys saying goodmorning. At least that is what I tell myself they are saying! And the birds begin their morning wakeup calls.
And how about looking up on a clear night at all the stars in the sky?
I am sure there are many more that I left out and I would love it if you want to share in comments what you love about summer.
Use this as a conversation starter at mealtime and see if your family shares the same summer loves or if they are different. Wouldn't it be fun to go outside and spread a blanket and the whole family look at the stars above them. Oh sure your kids might think you are crazy but if not over this then something else for sure! Let me know how it goes.
