Summers Used to Be More Fun

Remember summers when you were growing up? The last days of school ticked down, slower than molasses on a cold Cleveland day. The anticipation building because you knew that the day after school ended that three months of freedom began.

Three blissful months when you could do nothing.

Or almost nothing if you were me. I had chores. But when the chores were done……

Reading!!!!

And more reading!!!!!

And perhaps a nap, but only when I was older and understood that naps were divine.

Then out to hang with friends, walk the neighborhood, see a movie, sleep over at someone’s house.

And then there was the cottage. Starting in 1967 it was the focus of the summer. Oh the cottage. And the water. And the skiing. And the ice cream. And the flea market.

And then adulthood came along. And POOF! went the unconstructed months.

Tomorrow is the first day of summer and it always hits me right about this time of the year that my summer is going to just fly by.

ZOOOOOOOOOM! It is here and then it isn’t and we are thinking about snow. Sigh.

I am so busy. So, so busy. In January we think about the long and lazy days of summer. We yearn for them here in the Frozen Northeast Ohio. We think about them like a super model thinks about carbohydrates. With undisguised longing.

I love the Frozen Northeast Ohio in the summer time. I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to travel. I just want to stay here and enjoy the all too brief perfect summer weather. What I really want to do is just to sit on my back deck, surrounded by my flowers and hosta, minus any deer that might be snooping around….

A lovely glass of ice tea sitting next to me and a book in my hand. Hours of unrestricted time to wallow in a book.

But it just isn’t happening.

Nope.

Nada.

Right now I am having a very difficult time “letting” myself sit down and read a book in the middle of the afternoon. Or in the morning. I might manage a bit of reading in the evening but evening isn’t really my best reading time. There is just too much to do.

There is a wedding to work on.

There is photo editing to complete.

There is gardening to do, both at home and at the Community Garden.

There is a personal project or two that I am so very behind on.

I cook and bake on occasion.

There is cleaning to be done.

Oh wait….you didn’t believe that last one did you? How long have you been hanging around here?

And of course I went to the library yesterday and came home with two books.

I miss my unrestricted summer time.