12 Ways to Savor Summer

 “Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” —Henry James

Is it just me, or does summer fly by? When I was a kid, summer vacation stretched so far and wide that it shimmered like a mirage around the edges. It was filled with nothing but lazy fun- exploring the woods, swimming, bringing home box turtles, eating watermelon on the front steps, and reading everything I could get my hands on. When I had kids of my own, they filled their summers in the same way, on the same farm. So, I thought that my feeling of time, and summer, becoming so fleeting was because I was growing older. But my boys now voice the same opinion, as well as many younger kids that I know.

 “Summer's lease hath all too short a date.”

― William Shakespeare 

I think that Father Time has not picked up his pace at all, but we have created a world for ourselves that simply spins faster than it used to. If it is our fault that it flies around it's axis, so that a year seems to pass in a month's time, then it is also up to us to slow it back down. I propose we take back summer! How? By making a summer bucket list of things to take time for, events to slow our schedules to enjoy. I've made my own personal list of 12 Ways to Savor Summer.

1. Splash in a mud puddle 

  It is literally sometimes the most simple things that bring back our childlike sense of joy, like getting a letter in the mail, or holding a kitten. Or jumping in a mud puddle. Did you love that when you were young? Puddles were irresistible to me. The water warmed by the summer sun, and that layer of mud at the bottom that would squelch up around your toes. We have had an incredible amount of rain this spring. The dry creek behind the house has been running all season. One day, instead of jumping over it to stay dry, I stepped in. I was shocked by the warmth. It made me instantly giggle. Then I had to run up and down, letting the spray splash my legs. All I could think was how many times I've had the opportunity to enjoy it, and I avoided it instead. Next time you see a puddle or little stream, take the shoes off your hot tired feet and wade in. It's a sure ticket to childhood joy.

Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play.” – Herodotus,

2. Bring in blooms

I love flowers. In winter I get hungry for the very look of them, but I can't get excited about any of the grocery store packs. So, from the early spring daffodils to the very last colored leaves in fall, I bring nature inside. I'm blessed to have a flower garden to tend, and I love the constantly changing array of flowers. But I love the wild blooms that grow in our fields, and along the dirt roads, with equal passion. If you have money enough to buy roses and beautiful flowers from a shop, I hope you fill your house with them. But if you don't, just cast your eyes to the beauties that line roads and empty places. The hardy blooms can add grace to your table, in addition to the joy of walking along and picking them yourself.

And anytime you do bring in something like roses or lavender, you can continue to enjoy them even as they fade. You can put the fresh rose petals that fall or wilted lavender heads in little bags tied from cheesecloth or netting. Hang the bag from your tub faucet so as the warm water runs over it your bath will be scented with flowers. Or tie the lavender into bundles like I show HERE to dry. Put the fallen rose petals on waxed paper of a baker's rack and let sit until leathery. You can keep both of these in jars for making scented sugars, HERE, or you can bag them for a bath in winter that will give you a remembrance of sweet summertime.

 “It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.”

― Maud Hart Lovelace, Betsy-Tacy and Tib

3. Go to a drive-in theater or make your own

Did you know that the 112 Drive-in is the LAST operating drive-in theater in the whole state of Arkansas?! Going to the drive-in is one of my favorite summer memories, and my boys agree. We love movies, but there is something so much more exciting about watching one in the open air, complete with stars, nighthawks, and bats wheeling above your head. And it helps that it is tradition for me to make homemade Turtle Caramel Corn to take with us, along with jars of milk. If you can, support your local drive-in. This is a part of Americana that is fading fast.

 If you don't happen to have a theater near you, the fun can be replicated at home. Here we are playing some old family movies from my pop's boyhood on a screen outside the house. We had a wonderful time listening to him reminisce and tell us the names of relatives long past.

 “Summertime is always the best of what might be.” 

― Charles Bowden 

4. Take a walk, or drive, down a country road

This is something that I don't just do once in a summer, I do it several times a week. Our driveway ends on a dirt road, and I pray it never gets paved! I walk the roads and am refreshed anew every time I walk past the fields and farms. I see the passing of the seasons according to the fruit and flowers that are growing on the roadside, and by the stages of the hay in the fields. My walks never fail to instantly calm and soothe me, and I gain such joy from all the natural beauty. When I was a child, we would often go on "Sunday drives", taking off in the car with the purpose of following dirt roads until we were lost. We had some great adventures and saw amazing things. One of my favorites was a tumble down cabin with an old man sitting on the porch in a rocker. In the rocker beside him was a giant billy goat ;). I want to start back having Sunday drives...maybe we could even take my 1937 Chevy when she's in perfect working order!

“Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.” —Sam Keen

5. Make time to read

I have distinct memories of the summer between 3rd and 4th grade. I set a goal to read every single Nancy Drew book. Do you remember how they had the whole list of them in the back of the book and you could check them off? It wasn't abnormal for me to read a book a day. As I went on, we had to go to different libraries to find all the issues. When I got to the last couple books, they had been recently reprinted. And the back pages showed that they had started a whole new addition to the series! I was disgruntled and disillusioned, to say the least. I finished the original book set and put Nancy Drew behind me. But the real point is that I was able to read my little heart out, and every single summer vacation of my youth was a blissful repeat of those endless summer days. 

What about you? Do you have a stack of books you've been meaning to read? How about starting small and just picking two. Try reading an old one that delights you every time. And then a new one that you think will be interesting. I personally read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society every summer. It is a favorite that I never tire of. And while I recently went to a library book sale and brought back 17 new books (!!), I am determined that the one below will be my first to open. It is based on a real countess in the 17th century who went blind, and inspiring a friend to invent the typewriter so that she could continue to write. Sounds fascinating!

 “One benefit of Summer was that each day we had more light to read by.” ― Jeannette Walls

6. Enjoy a picnic 

A picnic is what you make of it. It can be grand, with china and silver, or it can be very impromptu. When my boys were small, I would tell them we were going on a picnic and they were ecstatic. I could pack some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in a bag, along with some milk, and lead them through the woods where we would end up eating in the loft of the barn. To them, it was a great adventure. There is just something about eating in someplace different that makes it special. Now that they are grown, we often have more elaborate picnics. I am NOT a sandwich eater, but I have found that the French make sandwiches for travel that are so delicious that I even like them. And they are made to be created ahead of time, so they are perfect in every way. (Let me know if you are interested in these wonders of the sandwich world) These baguettes, along with fresh fruit and a special dessert are a perfectly simple, yet elegant picnic. I have a basket that remains filled with graniteware plates and mugs they are ready (and unbreakable) whenever it is needed. But a sandwich picked up at a grocery store and eaten in the park with a friend is no less perfect a picnic!

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”

― John Lubbock

7. Play an outdoor game 

 We love to play games. As a kid, my parents and I played board and card games all the time. My boys also love to play. And in the summer, it is lovely to be able to take the play outside. Bocce is a game that can be played by lots of folks at one time, if you play on teams. We love that it simple enough for a child to learn and enjoy, but still challenging for adults. We have a lot of fun with this, because we all like to argue. The tape measure has had to come out many times to be certain just whose ball is an increment closer to the mark! But it is all in good fun. Croquet is another good outdoor game, or lawn darts, or many others. I think it would be great to have a gamut of lawn games to pick from!

 “We do not stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing!” ― Benjamin Franklin

8. Enjoy a Popsicle or homemade ice cream

Cold desserts are the perfect cure for steamy hot summer days. And while ice cream is delicious, homemade ice cream is dreamy, and you can tailor it to your desires. I have a small electric ice cream maker that doesn't even require salt and ice, see HERE. How amazing is that? And I can make any flavor my heart longs for. Above is a coffee chocolate chunk that is one of my favorites. But I am a sucker for a Popsicle or fudge pop. Do you remember the fruit flavored Popsicles that had two sticks, and you could break them in half and share them? I wonder if they still make them, because I am having a hankering for that taste. And eating them outside is wonderful. Feeling the heat on your skin while that cold ice cream slides down to your tummy. I also make less of a mess that way ;)

“Summer will end soon enough, and childhood as well.”
― George R.R. Martin 

9. Watch fireflies and maybe catch a few

I begin watching for fireflies the first of May. Every year I have the fear that this will be the one where the nights stay dark and empty of these amazing insects. Fireflies populations are declining and it would be a terrible shame to pass summers down to our children that did not include running after the specks of light to tuck into a Mason jar and watch with wonder. Have you seen any yet this year? Have you even looked? Things are apt to disappear under your very nose if you don't seek them out. It is a magical thing to be in a dark wood surrounded by these beautiful lights. I hope you seek them out this summer. To learn more about these fascinating bugs read HERE

"The light is bright enough to light up a little speck of night so a man can see a ways away. That's what God expects us to do. We're to be lights in the dark cold day that is this world. Like fireflies in December." ~Jennifer Erin Valent

10. Enjoy the fleeting foods of summer

As a child, I would hear my relatives go on about how they couldn't wait to eat the first tomato of the summer. I would roll my eyes, and think, "Sheesh, old folks..." I mean, fruits are amazing, but rhapsodizing about a tomato? Now I am the old person who goes out every day to see if one is finally ripe, so that I can be the first to eat it. Last year I spread homemade ricotta on homemade bread and topped it with my homegrown tomatoes and basil. I can't tell you how ready I am to eat that again! This works beautifully with tomatoes, or fresh fruits. If you are interested in trying it, read HERE.

But I would choose fresh fruit over veggies any day. While Hoover promised a chicken in every pot, I propose a watermelon in every fridge. We have picked blueberries, and now I am eating the very first of the wild blackberries. My hubby brought home peaches from down south, and they were the kind that make you close your eyes while you bite in and the juice runs down your wrist. Go to a fruit stand, visit the Farmer's Market. Sugar, just find you some real, homegrown goodness to eat this summer.

My family lived off the land and summer evening meals featured baked stuffed tomatoes, potato salad, corn on the cob, fresh shelled peas and homemade ice cream with strawberries from our garden. With no air conditioning in those days, the cool porch was the center of our universe after the scorching days. David Mixner
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/david_mixner_516648?src=t_ice_cream

"One day I would have all the books in the world, shelves and shelves of them. I would live my life in a tower of books. I would read all day long and eat peaches. And if any young knights in armor dared to come calling on their white chargers and plead with me to let down my hair, I would pelt them with peach pits until they went home" ~Jacqueline Kelly

11. Admire the night sky

When was the last time you stopped and stared up into the night sky? There are times when I walk outside on an errand into the darkness, and I am shocked into stopping and just admiring the display above. I took this picture of the moon. I worked very hard at it and I am very proud. The moon in all it's phases is a true wonder of nature. 

As much as I love stars and constellations, I am not adept at finding or naming them. The Big and Little Dipper and Orion are my limits. But there is help for that, even if you forget it all as soon as you reenter a lighted room. Below, on the right, is a star graph that glows in the dark. But the really cool thing is on the left, and it was actually made for kids. You can lay on your back and hold this above you. Then you dial the outside edge to the day of the year and the time of night. And it shows you all the constellations above you right then! And no, it is not some fancy computer, you simply put batteries in and the screen lights up with a light that doesn't affect your night vision. And it shows you the actual star groupings, but then you can push the button that turns them into the amazing pictures that correlate with the ancient myths and legends. If you have a kid you love, get them one. If not, get it for yourself! 

“Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light;
I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night."― Sarah Williams

12. Swim in a creek or lake

 
I know that summer is the time when lots of people buy a pass to the local pool. But there is something so primal about swimming in Mother Nature's pools and streams. It engages all the senses, and relaxes you at the same time. Do you remember swimming when you were young, then crawling out to warm up in the sun? Right back into the water you went. Sometimes little fish swam up to examine you, or you perused the bottom to find crawdads or pretty rocks. The water leached all the heat out of your body and left you limp and exhausted, but so happy. There have never been nights of sleep so deep and good as when exhausted by a day of playing in a creek, or lake, or river. Is there someplace you can go to jump off a rope swing, or wade while looking at shining minnows? I hope there is, and you can go to recharge your soul.

 “A good river is nature's life work in song.” ― Mark Helprin

Did any of these things make you smile in remembrance of enjoying them as a child? Then perhaps you should schedule time to fit the fun back into summer. Or maybe you will make your own list of things that you feel shouldn't be missed in life's rush. I hope you'll let me know what you feel is indispensable in this season of sunshine. I may just need to add it to my list. Here's wishing you a happy summer, Dear Reader!

   “All in all, it was a never-to-be-forgotten summer — one of those summers which come seldom into any life, but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going — one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends and delightful doing, come as near to perfection as anything can come in this world.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne's House of Dreams