The Start of Summer

Summer, I am not your biggest fan. In case you've been blinded by your own hype, here's a short list of your failings as a season:

1. Weather. It's hot. It's humid. It's time for a nap.
2. Moisture. Heat + Humidity = Sweat. I have never been familiar with the mystery of the female 'glow'. I sweat, I shine, I trickle, and I even occasionally drip. No delicate flower am I.
3. Sunshine. While I enjoy the sunshine, sunset at 10pm just throws off my internal clock. And sunrise at 5:30am? NO THANK YOU.
4. Birthday. My birthday arrives at the height of summer. It is after the best warm weather sales are over, when the stores are heavily stocked with Back-to-School garb. Nothing says Summer Birthday like a wool sweater! Plus, it's far enough into the season that most school friends were vacationing with family & couldn't join me for a little celebrating. An August birthday is a lonely time for a kid.
5. Bugs. Between the mosquitoes outside and the fruit flies inside, I spend the days & nights flailing like a marionette with a 4 year old puppeteer.
6. Clothes. Tanks, shorts, and teeny bikinis are not my garb of choice. Less is more, ladies - Wrap The Gift!
7. Food. OK, this is my least contentious point about summer. I love the fresh fruit, the sweet ripe berries, the taste of a burger right off the grill. What I don't like is not using my oven from June-September.
8. Driving. Road Rage, anyone? I swear, bad drivers get even worse when the mercury rises.
9. Time off. I have the worst luck booking almost any appointment in the summer. Everyone opens late or closes early or is shut down for 3 weeks of fly fishing in Sweden.

I am so tired I can't even think of a #10. I am going to retire to my bedroom, crank the window A/C, and refresh myself with a 'rest'. Throw the kids a couple of popsicles & wake me when Fall is here, OK?

Jack Frost Calling.....

I don't really mind the cold & snow.

If I can see the sun every few days & don't have to do too much driving on snowy roads, I'm good.

Sure, I miss taking walks (I have been a TOTAL vegetable lately & am extremely frustrated with myself & my schedule), wearing flip flops, and eating watermelon, but I know summer shall return.

Eventually.

But today we woke to the special treat of ice, ice baby.

It had warmed up last night & actually rained a bit. And that meant big trouble this morning.

I didn't realize it until we headed down to the car & preschool. 80% of the car was coated in ice. It was nearly impenetrable, and took at least 20 minutes to warm things up enough to chip away a little peek hole in the windshield.

The roads were slick, and our steps were treacherous. It was extra fun with a 20+lb. babe in arms.

Ice, ice, go away, come again another day (never).

Mopey Days

The past few days have reminded me of why I don't miss Oregon very much. Oregon is beautiful - lush, green, full of sweet-smelling pine trees, spectacular mountains, and rocky beaches. Know why it's so lush? RAIN. It rains between 6-7 months a year. It's not usually a pouring down rain, more of a gentle, constant drizzle. You know you're an Oregonian when you no longer bother with an umbrella. Throw on a fleece, maybe a baseball cap, and you're ready to move on with your rainy day. The second year I lived in Portland it rained 90 days straight, beginning in mid-November. 90 DAYS. That's a lot of H2O.

I am ready for some sunshine. I should be used to these wet, gray days, but I am longing for some sweet golden rays of sunny goodness. It's been hard to get motivated over the last few days, and my lack of regular exercise has compounded my malaise. I don't care if it's cold out, I just need a little blue sky and S-U-N.