Summer's Launch

Memorial Day is always a reminder that Summer is officially underway. The three day weekend usually means picnics and vacation trips and hikes and yard work. We hit three of the four this weekend and it's not even Monday yet. We've had glorious weather that has allowed us to get some much needed projects done as well as relax a little in between.

And while I cannot say enough about how grateful I am for the sacrifice of lives that got us to and keep us in a free country, it is also the time of year that:

• The grass grows at a rate that exceeds my ability to keep it neatly manicured. As a result it goes from golf green short to abandoned house long between cuts. I once heard that keeping your grass long keeps the weeds down. That is a dang lie.
• I can change clothes three times on a Saturday and never think twice about it. It's always shorts and a t-shirt, but when you perspire like I do, well. this is a good practice, trust me.
• The constant up-down-up of the windows kind of gives way to up-all-the-time. It is my favorite thing in the world to have fresh air blowing around my house. We don't have central air. Our air is un-centrally located. It blows with the wind. I may be spending the night at your centrally aired house this July. We're good that way, right?
• Our whole family dreams of that August vacation up north where we take the laziness of summer to new levels.
  
• Ten mile bike rides are as much a part of my daily routine as taking a shower. Donna likens me to a dog. I'm no good unless I'm given a chance to get out an run (or bike) a little. It keeps up my girlish figure too. 
• My evening walks with my dog sometimes go that extra few blocks. I love being outside at 7:30 at night without the need for a jacket or sweatshirt. This is because 270 other days of the year, this is not possible.
• Saturdays start with coffee and end with beer. In between is a flurry of twenty seven things that all seem to lead to the eventual beer. My favorite day of the week begins with coffee with my favorite person. 
• The dog barks at every dog, stranger, loud truck, mailman or Harley that goes up our street. We threaten him with the shaky can (a soda can with coins in it), but that only changes his bark into a growl and a more annoying howl. The other 270 days a year the porch is too uncomfortable to leave the door open so he can see these things. He is not a smart dog.
• That after a long day of busting her tail, my wife falls into a book for hours on end. This is a lost art in our society and she has rediscovered how satisfying it is. I need to do more of this too.
• Picnic foods begin showing up everywhere. Nothing better than watermelon, fresh strawberries, brats, hamburgers and all the good that goes with it.
• It stays sunny until 8:30 sometimes. Oh, thank ya Lawd!

So as we kick off Summer 2016, don't forget to appreciate even the hot, hot days. Because right around the corner is something called the Polar Friggen' Vortex.

Happy Summer Everyone!

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