Just as the start of a new school year approaches it seems like the dog days of summer have fled to parts unknown. Here in the heart of the Midwest the temperatures have dropped to the refreshingly cool 60’s and 70’s, the skies have become overcast, and thankfully the rain has finally fallen. To look about you would have never guessed the area had ever been gripped by a scorching drought. The parched lawns and dismal croaked over flowers have finally made a come back.
I admit that I have never been a big fan of heat and humidity. I have been allergic to everything but cockroaches ever since I could remember. Because of this, I never ventured outside much when I was younger unless it was to the beach or there was the beckoning promise of a dip in a swimming pool. I hated the blood thirsty mosquitoes and took no pleasure in the annual invasion of the earwigs or the annoying fleas who tried to take a vacation on my dogs and cat. This summer has been different for me. When the school bell rang for the last time at the beginning of summer vacation, I welcomed it with open arms. I actually looked forward to the 24/7 company of my kids. I took the bickering in stride, armed myself with pesticides to murder evil bugs, and spent more time outside walking and in the pool with the kids and even more time guzzling water from my water bottle. A little more peeing was involved due to the water bottle, but it was all good.
The sun beat down all through the month of June and July hotter than the fires of hell without a drop of rain in sight and because of it every living thing trying to grow either died or suffered. For the first time in memory the town’s fireworks were cancelled due to a county wide ban. It was literally drier than a popcorn fart and everyday was filled with watering the lawn and garden. I felt like the Mr. Donut man, instead of time to make the donuts it was time to move the sprinkler. The 4th of July passed much like any other day. Fair organizers probably wished the drought would continue despite the threat of a stray cigarette. Fate took its course. The heavens waited to burst for the fair. I was at the fair for one of those downpours. Thrilled it was finally raining, my family didn’t let it deter us one bit. We ran hell bent for election from one place to the next splashing puddles and gasping for breath laughing all the way while others cowered in doorways and barns.
It may have been hotter than hell outside but it was comfortable in the house. The standing joke all summer has been that it is snowing in my bedroom. The room houses the biggest honking air conditioner of the two we possess and it packs a powerful punch. While comfortably cool everywhere else, in my room it is colder than a witches tit in the Klondike. Penguins could live happily there. I wouldn’t have it any other way though. I still remember those scorching days before air conditioning when sweat flowed freely down my a$$ crack even with the fans going full blast.
Another thing I love about summer is all the barbecuing going on. This year I made up my mind I was going to become a master of the barbecue grill. No more was I going to wait 3 weeks for my husband to roll into town to enjoy meat from the grill. Oh hell no. This year I grabbed the bull by the balls and learned. The result was that the kitchen stayed a lot cooler, and I became a master of marinades, barbecue sauces, and basting. The summer was punctuated with not only long walks but golf cart rides and the roar of my husband’s racing lawn tractor as he raced around the yard spinning tires and kicking up dust.
My summer has held all the best things this year: barbecues, swimming, a trip to the zoo, camping, ice cream, sun block, a fair amount of exploring local parks and the Wellfield Botanical Gardens, cotton candy from the fair, picking blueberries, and a trip to the local cheese factory. Instead of only my ole computer chair showing the wear and tear, my tennis shoes have gotten mileage as well. Despite the dog days of summer and the plague of frequent migraines, I have soldiered on until next time when I give you another glimpse into the life of a trucker’s wife.
When I was growing up my Dad always was the master of the barbecue. Every single time he came home off the road I would look forward to whatever he would prepare for us on the grill. Whether it was hamburgers, chicken, or steak when it came to grilling, I knew that was my Dad’s domain. I even remember it was always my Grandpa’s that ruled the barbecue grills in their households. It was the way things were. I accepted it. I never aspired to learn how to grill food; I simply knew I wasn’t a guy so it wasn’t my thing to do. Women did the cooking in the kitchen and the men took care of any barbecuing that needed done.
It is hardly surprising that once I married my husband I accepted the fact that he was the one to grill food and I would handle any cooking done in the kitchen. I have to admit when I was first married and setting up housekeeping I was completely clueless what to make for dinner or how much to prepare. The weird thing was I would go to the grocery store and buy all the things my husband liked even though he wasn’t going to be around to eat it.
One Halloween my sister had made a huge batch of vegetable soup just like our mom used to make. I honestly thought I had died and went to heaven. She gave me a huge container of it to take home and asked me at the time “Why don’t you make a big pot of soup yourself if you love it so much?” The answer was simple. My husband didn’t like vegetable soup and hated carrots. She seemed unimpressed. I remember her saying “Hells Bells Kathy, as much as he is gone, why is stopping you from making some for yourself? I would make the things you like when he isn’t around and make what he likes when he is!” That stuck with me, and I made up my mind I was going to do just that. Believe me, I became an even happier person when I realized this small truth.
Here I am, 44 years old having been married almost 15 years and guess what? I am mastering the barbecue grill! It has the added extra bonus of involving less mess in the kitchen and the beauty of not heating up the kitchen with the hot stove! I am woman, see me roar!! Can you possibly imagine how liberating it was for me to break the patterns of a lifetime and do something that I never imagined myself doing? It is awesome! I started on this new grilling adventure this summer and now, I grill every single night!! Everything from chicken to pork chops to steaks experimenting with marinades and spicy rubs; I am having the time of my life and feeling like I conquered Everest!! I can do it, and do it well. It took me 44 years to accept the fact that I didn’t need a twig and giggle berries hanging between my legs to operate a barbecue grill!!
Being a trucker’s wife, you end up taking on tasks you would never dream possible no matter how big or small simply because you don’t have a choice in the matter. Sometimes you got to do what you have to do. I had to either $hit or get off the pot and learn the hard way when everything went to hell. I had to figure out how to do it myself, fix whatever was broken, and basically figure out how to survive and get the job done on my own. There is no one else that is going to do it for me. It is up to me. To most people grilling meat on a gas grill is small potatoes compared to some of the major accomplishments some folks take on and conquer. As you can see, it doesn’t take much to make my day and believe me making edible food on the grill is right up there for me. It reminds me I can soar and do anything I set my mind to if I just try until next time when I give you another glimpse into the life of a trucker’s wife.
I love all the seasons! Any day with the sun shining is a perfect day in my book. It would be a day that isn’t to hot or to cold but just right with a pleasant temperature between 70-80 degrees. The skies would be brilliantly blue filled with white fluffy clouds. A slight breeze perfumed with the smell of flowers and freshly mowed grass would fill the air.
On such a lovely day, no matter whether spring, summer, or fall, I would head outdoors to play track ball with my kids, take a walk, or lose myself in a good book while my kids played on the swing set or ran about playing one of their many games. I would plan a picnic or a day to explore a park or a zoo.
If it was summer and a tad warmer, I might rush to the beach to laze away the day watching the tide roll in and out as my kids built sand castles and buried their toes in the sand. More likely I would take a swim in the backyard pool, and then relax in a lawn chair, catching rays, watching my kids play as I bury myself within the pages of a great book.
If it was fall I would venture outdoors armed with my handy dandy leaf blower and attack the mountains of leaves drifting down. Then I would enjoy watching them burn as the sun set and turned into a beautiful night with the moon watching over me and stars twinkling from the sky.
In the winter I would delight in the cotton ball sized snow falling from the sky and how the world was magically transformed into a world blanketed in white. Then I would rush outside and attempt to catch a few snowflakes on my tongue, make snow angels, and build the best snowman ever with my kids. As long as the sun peeked out eventually to say hello, I would be happy.
If my husband was home, the perfect weather would demand golf cart rides around the neighborhood and succulent perfectly grilled meat filling the air with the most mouth watering smells. If the weather is bright and sunny there were would be yard work, gardening, and memories being made filled with laughter and smiles. I will be walking on sunshine until next time when I give you another glimpse into the life of a trucker’s wife.
