Summer

       For the first time in a very long time I looked forward to the beginning of summer with the same excitement and enthusiasm as my two children.  Like them, I counted the days until the end of school and the beginning of summer.  I wasn’t in school with them, but I still thought the last weeks of school dragged at a snail’s pace.  All of a sudden time speeded up and my son graduated from kindergarten, my daughter went fishing with her class, and the last day of school was upon us all.  I celebrated with them with war whoops and high fives. I proudly displayed the end of year awards each received around the living room and awarded them with hugs and kisses for their end of year report cards filled with perfect scores and A’s.

       Here I am, in the beginning stages of menopause embracing summer with both hands.  Hello late nights and sleeping in!  Goodbye to the daily 6 hours of silence and solitude.   Hello to roasting your happy a$$ off in the summer heat and the threat of another heat stroke to mark this year like the last.  Hello to turning into a Popsicle in the cool, artic temperatures of the house thanks to the air conditioning.   For me, summer began officially this past Wednesday morning.  It was the first day of summer break for my kids and the first day the alarm clock was silent at 7:30 am.   Bust out the sun block and the bug spray!

        Summer is filled with long warm hazy days of swimming, reading, exploring, and playing.  For me, it wouldn’t be summer without signing my kids up for the local library’s summer reading program.  It encourages the kids to read over the summer by awarding them with prizes for their dedication.  Thursday the library planned a family story time at my hometown’s newest attraction, the Wellfield Botanic Gardens.  I took the kids and was amazed to find such a lovely place so close to home.  Sitting on a blanket, we enjoyed stories, dancing, clapping, and singing silly songs in the shade of a big ole tree.  The best part was when the last story ended and we could explore the winding trails of the garden and waterways.  I took great pleasure in capturing the beauty with my camera.

         It wouldn’t be summer without a trip downtown to the spray pads and city parks.  The kids and I ventured there on Friday after running the necessary errands.  Garbed in swim suits they raced amongst the dancing shooting fountains of cool refreshing water that sprayed up at random drenching them.  I watched them race from one to the next squealing with delight as yet another fountain appears and blossoms from the ground.  I watch from a nearby bench, smiling at their exuberance as I read my book.

        Summer breezes caress filled with the fragrance of flowers, tantalizing aromas of barbecues, freshly mown grass, and the tropical smell of sun block.  The nights are lit by stars and bursts of fireworks.  Summer is when the boom box makes its way outside and my favorite tunes provide a rousing backdrop to whatever we do.  The garden is planted, watered, and weeded as we eagerly anticipate the first ripe tomatoes, green peppers, onions, and green beans.  We walk to the school playground, swim, prepare for the 4H fair, and when my husband arrives for a weekend home zoom around the neighborhood on the golf cart.

         Fresh berries, corn on the cob, elephant ears, drippy ice cream cones, cotton candy, and barbecued meat sizzled to perfection on a hot grill.  Picnics, fireworks, carnival rides at the local fair, splashing in the pool, and sitting around a blazing campfire roasting marshmallows.  Time spent with my husband and kids enjoying the rodeo, races, and outdoor concerts.  Making memories, time spent together, laughing, living, and loving in the summertime until next time when I give you another glimpse into the life of a trucker’s wife.