I admit: Summer is not my favorite season.
Not when it’s so hot and humid there are heat warnings. When I dread the relief of thunderstorms because most all of them all summer have meant water in the house and power outages that keep us bailing our sump pump and spending the weekends at Home Depot trying to solve this water issue.
HOWEVER, determined not to overlook the gifts of summer, I started a list. After you read mine, will you add a few items of your own by commenting, please? Let’s not let ourselves fail to appreciate the abundant gifts specifically of summer.
Abundant Gifts of Summer
- fresh fruit: watermelon, ice cold on a summer day; cantaloupe, Michigan peaches, strawberries, and my favorite, blueberries–especially when picked fresh on an outing with a friend, or given to me by my son who thoughtfully bought 5 packages on sale because he knew they were my favorite fruit
- garden produce, especially zucchini (I make a mean Italian-style fried zucchini dish) and tomatoes (the only time to eat them is in season, in my opinion)
- flowers: the amazing variety of color and shape
- light before 6 a.m.
- air conditioning (a godsend when it works)
- warm gentle rains (I do remember one, anyway, that was lovely)
- the color green
- birds and their songs (I saw a bluebird–only the second time I’ve seen one in my life. He was gorgeous!)
- pools and lakes and oceans to swim in
And …? What particular gifts of summer are you thankful for?
Grandkids out of school & spending more time with them.
That Fall my favorite time of year is close.
Ice cream….ok will I am thankful for that one all year, hahaha
Cookouts
I almost wrote “ice cream” too but realized I can eat it all year. Except, there’s nothing like it in summer, right? And I don’t eat cones except in summer; not sure why….
That the children don’t have school schedules to follow. Hummingbirds. The sounds of children playing in the neighborhood.
Bonfires. Gardening.
What I love about summer:
It’s so easy to throw on a pair of shorts and a tee-shirt.
Going barefoot.
Sitting in the sun to get some vitamin D, oh, and a beautiful tan, too.
The heady scent of lilacs, roses, sweet peas, peony, and more!
Sitting outside on long summer evenings.
The sound of rain birds watering the grass. The rhythmic, “fost, fost, fost,” is hypnotic.
Summer food, barbecues, picnics, fruit salads decorated with rose petals.
Marveling at the stars on summer nights.
Birdsong in the mornings, and watching birds teach their nestlings to fly and find food.
Canning fruit and pickles for the winter season. All those glistening jars full of color and good health.
Long walks with my dog.
Camping trips, visits to the beach,
The abundance of fresh food, green leaves, and laughter.