I just haven't had the time to blog for the last few days. I've been editing like mad, finishing up my WIP and starting a new one, trying to keep up with housecleaning, ferrying the kids back and forth to their various summer camps/classes and visiting my aunt who had a stroke two weeks ago.
I may have blogged about this before, but I think I realize now why I dislike summer so much. It doesn't deliver what it promises. Everyone talks about the lazy, hazy days of summer - but where are they? I've spent more time in a hot car than basking in the sun [not that it's safe to bask in the sun anymore mind you]. By the time I have the time to go swimming, I'm too tired. Sitting outside enjoying the weather is nice until the mosquitos attack.
Nothing really stops in the summer. Sure, school is out, so the kids are happy. No homework, no real responsibilities, but for the rest of us - there's still grocery shopping and laundry. The mortgage still needs to be paid and the heating bill has been replaced by the air conditioning bill. There's no break.
I think in order to enjoy summer again, it would have to live up to its old reputation. There would have to be days spent doing nothing but swimming, evenings where the highlight of the night is going out for Italian ices and listening to the crickets after dark. Catching lightning bugs and collecting sea shells would have to replace scouring the bathtub and vaccuming. Dinner would have to be grilled every night and come with at least one toasted marshmallow for dessert. Everyone should smell like Coppertone all the time and the only time anyone should want to go inside is if it rains.
So when summer can deliver me that, it can give me a call. Until then, it's just winter with sweat.
I may have blogged about this before, but I think I realize now why I dislike summer so much. It doesn't deliver what it promises. Everyone talks about the lazy, hazy days of summer - but where are they? I've spent more time in a hot car than basking in the sun [not that it's safe to bask in the sun anymore mind you]. By the time I have the time to go swimming, I'm too tired. Sitting outside enjoying the weather is nice until the mosquitos attack.
Nothing really stops in the summer. Sure, school is out, so the kids are happy. No homework, no real responsibilities, but for the rest of us - there's still grocery shopping and laundry. The mortgage still needs to be paid and the heating bill has been replaced by the air conditioning bill. There's no break.
I think in order to enjoy summer again, it would have to live up to its old reputation. There would have to be days spent doing nothing but swimming, evenings where the highlight of the night is going out for Italian ices and listening to the crickets after dark. Catching lightning bugs and collecting sea shells would have to replace scouring the bathtub and vaccuming. Dinner would have to be grilled every night and come with at least one toasted marshmallow for dessert. Everyone should smell like Coppertone all the time and the only time anyone should want to go inside is if it rains.
So when summer can deliver me that, it can give me a call. Until then, it's just winter with sweat.
2 comments:
Sorry to hear about your aunt. Hope her recovery is going well.
I think summer was fun when we were kids (don't know about you, but I wasn't ferried to a million activities). Those days really were lazy -- that, or like every other memory that has been diluted by time, they were boring.
Thanks, Jen!
I guess what I really miss is the lack of responsibilty. It would be nice to have ten weeks, or ten days or even ten minutes sometimes, where I didn't HAVE to do anything or worry about anything except where my next ice pop was coming from.
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