Summertime…and the livin’ was easy

I made a list of what July keeps.

July reminds me to lighten my thoughts, make time for play, and relish all that is good in the world. Awe and wonder never take a vacation.

What does July keep?

A few words: Splashing. Sun. Shade. Sticky. Silence. Sunsets.

I remember the smells of summer wrapped around family, fun, festivities:

Fresh mown grass
Sea salt air
Ice cream salt

Which leads me to the tastes of summer that linger on the tongue.

We sat at the handmade picnic table for smoky barbecue, buttery corn on the cob, and watermelon, sweet, cold, and sticky running down our chins.

The wooden ice cream freezer, my favorite summer object, became the throne we all coveted. When the crank slowed, the freezer needed weight to hold it still. A line of eager faces waited for their turn to sit on top, rocking with each turn of the handle, as cream swirled into soft deliciousness.

Can you name this place?

Fireflies flashing silently through the night. Frogs croaking a serenade. A slight rustle of wind plays a windchime song. The screen door creaks, laughter, and a firm, “It’s time for bed!”

The freedom of summer rolls across the days:

Sun
springs up
over the horizon
heating up the day
gallivanting across the blue sky
until the parched earth cries out,
Enough! The bluebirds spot a cool puddle
to splash, splatter, sing a joyful chirping song.
A humongous orange ball sinks; this day ends—sunset.

And what about that first summer kiss?

That’s my list. Choose one July detail of your own to keep. Why that one?

Summertime

“In the summer, the days were long, stretching into each other. Out of school, everything was on pause and yet happening at the same time, this collection of weeks when anything was possible.”
—Sarah Dessen, Along for the Ride

I always welcome your thoughts, so please leave a comment

And always—