These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

     I can't quite say summer is my favorite season because, in truth, it isn't.  Summer, spring, and fall are perfectly divided and have been quarreling for first in my heart for as long as I can remember.  The truth is that they all have some delightful nuance about them, and it would be unfair to count any above the others.  But, I feel the need and have the inspiration to write down some of the reasons summer is so special to me.  Reasons that, throughout the years, in one time or another, have made summer such a glorious time.

  I'm assuming this world is not in a profound need of another "20(or so) Reasons Why Summer Is The Best" list.  One pinterest search will yield exactly 3,476 various lists on this topic and the means by which to do them.  (I didn't actually count that many, but I can imagine it would be somewhere around there. ;) However, approximately 3/8 of the joy/fun of anything is writing about it.  So, if for my pleasure only, I bring to you my list of favorite things about summer. 

     1. Well...for starters...no school.  But, does that even need to be mentioned?

2. Hummingbirds.  What would summer be with out those pretty, personal-sized feathery friends?

3. Sunshine! And with it those funny tan lines that are joyously etched into one's skin. 

4. Flip-flops!  Bare feet!

5. The sounds of lawn mowers.  Ever since I was a very little girl I have loved the sound of lawn mowers. As well as those huge fans placed in commercial green-houses that sound like lawn mowers...kind of.  Nothing makes me feel 'summer' quite like that.  Pure joy, I tell you.

6. Opening all the doors and windows at night to let as much cool air in as is possible...and then...closing them exactly at the point when the air outside begins to increase temperature.  #HouseWith NoAirConditioningProbs 

7. Picnics.  Whether it be at a local park, out in the pasture, at the end of the forest, or on the living-room carpet, they all have the same level of 'summerness'.

8. Lake days with friends!  No explanation needed.

9. I call it...yard-puttering: the act of bing-bongin' around the yard, smelling the flowers, watching the birds, reading in the shade, staring at the sky.  A vital component to summer!

10. Books.  Technically this should go under a 'Favorite Things About Life' list (I ought to create one of those sometime), but summer, picnic blankets, and sunshine would be quite incomplete without books. It would be a dreadful shame to leave this one out.

11.  Huckleberries. Purple. Gold. The. End.

12. Bonfires. Those crackling tongues of yellow-orange merriment...

13. ...complete with s'mores.

14. Star-gazing on the deck wrapped up like burritos in snuggly blankets.

15. Tent camping!  This one could use an entire blog post just about itself. Until you've done it you really can't understand the splendor, and after you have, you need no explanation.

16. Ice cream. I prefer all things Cookie Dough. Yum!

17. Tent camping and ice cream.  Now there is a blissful combination.
18. Rhubarb pies! They're one of a kind! Tart and delicious!
19. Farmer's markets. The heat. The evening air. Ice cream. People. It's spectacular, really! And, farmer's markets by the historic Yukon River...even more grand.
20. Drinking out of the garden hose.  It's cool. It's refreshing. Enough said.
21. Watermelon.  It's red. It's sweet. It's summer.
22. Flowers are one of the best creations God ever graced the earth with, and they grace the summer season with as much colorful brilliance as ever.  Wild flowers hold their own breathtaking beauty!
23.  I'm really not sure how to imagine summer without hay bales.  To leave them out would be treason. :D
24. Hot days, sweet little children, and lemonade stands.  They usually attract myriads of bees and wasps and other nectar hungry insects, but the joy they bring is worth it.
25. Semi-hot, half-way cool evenings.  These are a few of my favorite things!
26. ...And potato salad. No summer picnic is complete without potato salad.  In fact, its far from complete.

It's not exhaustive, but it pretty well sums up my summer loves.

~Brooke