Summer Spirit

I am not a summer person. My favorite season has always been winter, and even though I'm getting older and the cold bothers me to a degree, I still prefer the discomfort of being too cold over the irritation of being too hot. Summer 2010 is less than a week old, and already our temperatures have soared over the 100 degree mark here on Patti's Porch.

Still, I do not like to be a person who complains. So, I've been spending the past few days getting myself psyched up for the season and thinking of innovative ways to grin and bear the heat without making my life and that of everyone around me miserable.

It took me a long time before I would wear shorts and tank tops in public. I did not have a problem wearing them at home where no one was bound to see me, but I really don't need them at home since the house is centrally air conditioned. It's when I go to town to run errands and am in and out of my air conditioned vehicle that I need to be comfortably dressed. I have learned that if I attire myself in the same summer wear as everyone else, no one seems to notice. If I wear jeans and a T-shirt, I draw some funny looks. No one cares that I am overweight. I'm not competing in a fashion contest here.

One of the advantages of summer is the opportunity to swim. Not only is this activity a great way to stay cool, it provides great exercise as well. I don't live near the ocean or real close to a lake, but our town pool offers lap swimming from 11-1 PM most weekdays. It's a great time for someone like me since very few people, usually less than half a dozen, use the pool during this time period. I'm not exactly a lap swimmer. One or two lengths of the pool is about all I can manage before I get tired. Still, it's a great time to do some water aerobics or water-resistance exercise.

This summer, our granddaughter is a member of the local swim team. We haven't been involved with the swim team since our kids were members almost ten years ago. Our first "B" meet was held here in town last Tuesday. She did great for a new swimmer, swam three of the four strokes unassisted. This week-end, our town is hosting the big "A" meet and she is swimming in it as well. I had forgotten how exciting it is to have a competitor in a swim meet. The kids are so full of energy and it doesn't take them long to become infected with the competitive spirit. It gives us the opportunity to see old friends who are also cheering on their grandkids and meet some new folks as well.

Did you ever notice how good a bottle of cold water tastes in the summer? Iced tea and lemonade are great thirst-quenching drinks in the heat as well. Fresh fruit seems to taste a lot better in summer. It's the time of year for watermelon and juicy peaches and red seedless grapes. I tend to eat less in the summer. A basic salad will satisfy my appetite very well during this time of year. Cooking is much simpler because neither my husband nor I have any desire to heat up the house any more than necessary.

People seem to be more accessible in the summer somehow. Vehicle windows are more likely to be open than in the winter, so if you see someone you know, you can even maybe holler a hello as you pass by. You seldom meet someone on the post office steps or the grocery store parking lot in summer that would say, "I need to go. I'm sweating to death!" In winter, folks are rushing back to their vehicles because they are "freezing to death".

Summer brings with it some fascinating cloud formations. Granted, the danger of violent and destructive storms is high, but the skies those impending storms produce are truly a work of an awesome Creator. Even lightning, with all its power and ability to harm, holds a beauty that can't be described.

These are just a few of the positives about summer. So, for the next three months, I will dwell on those facets of the season. If you want me to be honest about it, though, I'll be secretly counting the days until December 21st, the first day of winter. Just in case anyone out there is counting with me, there are 179 days to go! Now aren't you glad you read this post. You learned something you may not have known!

Thanks for reading my blog!