Summertime

Have I ever mentioned that summer is my least favorite of the seasons? Don't get me wrong, I don't hate it by any means. I love going on vacations, or taking walks when the evening cools off.

What I don't like is heat. Sweat. Allergies. Boredom.

True, the boredom thing isn't nearly as much of an issue now as it was when I was still a teen. Elora and Joshua take care of that, even when I would prefer they didn't! We've fed the local ducks, gone to a few parks, and the lake. Thats entertaining enough:


But in years past... I never had a summer job until I was in college (I applied for a few, but its hard to get a job in a small town when you don't know somebody. And you refuse to work in fast food, or on Sundays.) Every summer I was literally counting down the days until I could be back in the classroom.
Sigh. I love school.

It didn't help that I had an absurd fear of calling people to ask if they want to hang out, so I'd spend the day hoping someone else would take the initiative and call me. Okay, sometimes I still do that.

I've always hated any team sports (both watching and participating), swimming or getting wet (my glasses used to be a big reason for this) , and I rarely had money to go to a movie. Besides, who would I go with? Unless it was a family vacation year, all I had to look forward to was long days in my basement room (the only cool place in the house) or sitting under the front yard tree reading a book. I enjoy a good book, but there's only so much reading you can do in a day! Even years later when I had some good friends to hang out with, their job schedules were different than mine and it wasn't until nighttime that we could all get together.

I have never lived somewhere that is air conditioned. Currently, our apartment thermostat says it is over 85 degrees in here with the fan on. I suppose thats better than the 95 it is outside....but not by much. Since moving back to a warmer climate, I have informed Joseph that when he is done with school there is no way we are moving somewhere hotter, like Arizona or Texas. Wyoming and Montana don't sound too bad, weather wise. I can stand a little snow more than killer heat!

Allergies..I didn't have them until I was 25 years old, and each year they seem to be getting steadily worse. This summer I can hardly go outside even if I want to do so. I've had the usual nose and throat ailments, but my eyes have been so swollen and itchy I considered clawing them out last week. Luckily I found some ocular antihistamine so I could start wearing my contacts and a little makeup. Now I don't have to feel like this so much:




Yes, I believe the only time I really enjoyed the whole summer was the years when I lived in Washington. Between 75 and 85 almost every day: how perfect is that! I think in western WA you learn to appreciate the summer months more than before, because the perfect weather makes up for the nine months of darkness. Not only that, but there are places to go and things to see. You can find a beach every few miles, there are cultural attractions, and plenty of parks. As long as you don't mind homeless people. Even at my workplace downtown I could sit out on the balcony and look out over beautiful Elliot Bay, while I basked in the not-too-hot sun during my lunch breaks.

When we lived in Everett, Joseph had long breaks between work and school in the middle of the day. We would often take a jaunt down to a beach to find mini-crabs under the rocks, or to have a picnic. There was also an awesome forest trail right by my workplace, so sometimes when he came to get me from work we would take Elora for a little hike under the trees.

Back when we were dating, Joseph worked at a bank in the Roosevelt district north of the UW. I got off work a few hours before he did, and I'd take the bus to the park near his job where I'd take a nap in the grass, write in my journal, or read. (The fifth Harry Potter book had just come out, I believe.) Before that, I used to take a bus that didn't go directly to my home so that I could walk along the Burke Gillman Trail every day. If I didn't stop under the Montlake Bridge to watch the kyaks, then I would go on to the arboretum and look for turtles on logs, or take pictures off of the docks.


Wait, I think I've posted this picture before. Here's a new one:


Wow I loved that place. I guess thats why I keep mentioning it.

I only recall one summer in Washington that seemed unbearably hot. But that was when I was pregnant with Elora, had been layed off from my job, and was home and incredibly bored. Thats when I drew this on the computer to illustrate my anguish:


See, the guy standing represents the sun, or the heat. And the other guy represents the suffering of humanity. It's very avant garde, don't you think? Never mind.

So no, I don't completely hate summer; I have some awesome memories of this time of year. I just don't like to be hot, sweaty, and allergic. Give me some crisp autumn air or some barely budding trees and I'm much more at one with the world.

How shall I solve this problem? Hmm, Maybe I should buy a summer home in Seattle. I think I'll get right on that. (Everyone sing with me: "The bluest skies you've ever seen are in Seattle....." Its in my playlist if you don't know what I'm talking about. And hopefully it works, unlike most the rest of the songs on my list. )