Summer

My assignment for my writing group today was to write about summer. My blog today is what I submitted to the group.

All of my life I’ve looked forward to summer.  Growing up in Florida, summer meant I could play all day without having to wear a shirt.  I looked forward to vacations at the beach or in the mountains, and best of all, as I got older, no school.

When I moved north, summer became even more important to me.  After planting my garden on Memorial Day, I enjoyed the few warm days of June, looking forward to a glorious July.  We picnicked, played with the children in the park, worked on our fast-growing garden, and enjoyed daylight until 9:00 p.m.  While we still had a few warm days in August, the days grew depressingly shorter and cool; wet days were not uncommon.  Summer was coming to an end.

When wintery blast came in November, I pretended to enjoy cross country skiing and sledding with the kids.  But what I mostly remember is shovelling snow, putting on winter gear and sliding around on the icy roads.  After my second knee replacement, I fell on ice on our driveway.  I hobbled inside and told Aoma we were driving to North Carolina to look for a house.

North Carolina is a blessing for me.  After a short winter, spring comes early and fall last until Thanksgiving.  Sure we have over 50 days with the temperature over 90 degrees.  I enjoy wearing shorts every day, taking an early walk, and working the many plants in the bank behind our home.  Aloma and I sit on our patio every night, with an overhead fan, enjoying a glass of wine before going inside for supper.  We have our best talks on the patio.  Later, I often sit on the deck until after 9:00 working on my books.  I love it.

We usually shorten winter by going to Florida for a  couple of weeks.  This year we hope to go for two months.  When we return, we can look forward to a beautiful spring knowing summer is just around the corner.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com