I love summer. I like the heat. I like being outside. Summer months mean vacation and a change of pace. It means longer days and sunshine. I love seeing the hillside covered in green against that bright blue sky.
I like yardwork! Go figure. Yard work may be a chore to some, but I like it (in small doses). It gives me an excuse to be outside and since I have no athletic ability it works better for me than tennis or golf. Compared to picking up around the house, a flower bed that's been freshly weeded looks good for days!
Of course there is a big difference between Florida summers and Pennsylvania summers. Temperatures in Pennsylvania can fluctuate quite a bit during June, July, and August. One day it can be 75 and the next 95. In Florida there is NO fluctuation. The weather man's job is easy. "Tomorrow we will have highs in the mid-90's with a chance of showers in the afternoon". He can say that from May to October. Even so, because we had quite a bit of shade in Florida I was able to work outside in the yard a lot longer than I can at our present home where there is no shade. Here, the sun gets to me after an hour or two and I head inside to cool off before heading back out again.
There is a downside to summer, though. For one thing, unfortunately there is nothing pretty or cute about me when I am 'flushed with heat'. When I get hot my face gets beat red, my hair is dripping and consequently drooping. I'm envious of people who can look good no matter how hot it is!
Another downside is a hot summer night. It's not fun sleeping when it is hot so I am very grateful for air conditioning. The nice thing about Pennnsylvania is that a lot of nights are cool enough that we can sleep with windows open and a fan going. And I can usually walk 2-3 miles in the morning if I get out early enough, before that sun starts beating down. In Florida, it was hard to get out early enough. I remember opening the door to let the dog out in the middle of the night and being hit with a wall of heavy hot air that I felt could swallow me up.
I made a promise not to moan about the winter last year. Our fall was so long and so beautiful, but winter took a long time leaving and I'm soaking up as much summer as I can. I won't begin to complain about the heat even if it gets to be very hot. After all, I know it will be short lived and in another week I'll be slipping on a hoodie on a cool morning. The truth is, for me, when the sky is blue, the trees are green and the air is warm (or just cool enough for a hoodie) all is right in my world!
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Ah, I think I might like it in Pennsylvania. IT is so hot here that I cannot work outside for more than a minute. When it rains, it rains weeds and I simply can't keep up in the summer. I love the fall, when I can weed a bed and it looks good for a month or more. And it is cool enough for a little jacket. And so I look into the woods, where the chaos doesn't matter and pretend my beds are pristine. They will be again in the fall.
ReplyDeleteI think you would like it in Pennsylvania, especially May through October. Maybe even November and December. Jan-April?? not so much :)
ReplyDeleteI really don't miss the heat and humidity of PA or FL, but after a week of rain and cool weather here, I'm willing to swap a few days with you. :)
ReplyDeleteWe'd be willing to trade for rain! LOL
ReplyDeleteI don't know what has happened to me, but as I age, I am becoming more sensitive to the heat. When I was a child, I'd play for hours in the high 80's / 90's on a hot summer's day. Yeah ... it was hot, but I was too immersed in the fun. Even after I was newly married, I'd maintain my schedule in the heat. For whatever reason, I am finding myself wilting a lot quicker now. My motivation to remain active dies when it's over 85 / 90.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you -- bring on spring and especially fall! Winter - well - you know how I feel about that, but I also realize that "be careful for what you ask for ... you may get it"! ;-)
This summer has been nice with the a/c we now have. I still can open the windows at night (when appropriate, but at least after I have been out in the heat, I know that my home is a sanctuary where there is relief.