Summer...at last!

A hammock full of babies.

I don't know why I would say that...summer is a way of life for me.  When the air begins to cool in the Fall, my husband and I fly away to a warmer place. Yet there is something about summer in a place with four seasons don't you think? I always thought it was that time of year we learn to fall in love with love. Lazy days, warm night, books and candles in the moon light.

Fun in the fountain.

In a recent post Carol Cassara wrote about Lazy Summer Days Ahead. She asked what her reader's favorite summer memory was. Isn't it interesting that even at my age the images that flash to my mind are those of childhood. Carol talked about her small town and how in her memories of things remain the same. It is that way for me too.

My friend had a sleeping porch on her little foundationless house. We shared a single bed with a creaking wire frame. Our feet fought for space in the middle as our heads pressed against the frame at each end. It was not comfortable but the sound of the wind in a cottonwood tree and crickets in the bushes lulled us to sleep. Even now after 60 years I think of that time and place when I cannot sleep. It is such a sweet memory.

Their very own strawberry jam.

Evening walks.

But now there are new memories... grandchildren, fountains in the town square, Saturday markets full of produce and happy people. My garden over flows with flowers and even this early I am picking green peppers and looking at my single cucumber growing bigger by the day.

We walked last night near a creek with evening animals beginning to stir. Ducks were swimming close and the smell of evening came away with me as we wandered back home.

Each summer is different. Age, location, weather and family make things beautiful in my mind. While memories are important, the reality is much much better.

What is your favorite summer memory?

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