Summer, don't go yet!

It happened in the wink of an eye…overnight actually. One day it was sweltering hot, humid and just, well summer, and then today I woke up and there – I swear – is a taste of fall in the air.
Now don’t get me wrong. I love fall! I do. It’s my favorite time. But only when we are ready. Because as soon as fall gets here, summer is over. And I see it slowly but surely slipping away. I am trying to savor it, sweet ear by sweet ear, BLT by BLT.
Dear Mother Nature, I will make a deal with you. If you want to start fall, say, tomorrow, I am fine with that. But here’s the deal: please let it last VERY long. Like say, until Thanksgiving or maybe even Christmas Eve? A snow at Christmas is fine…but if I could bargain one more time, how about an early spring…like maybe Valentine’s Day? I figured as long as I am asking, I may as well go for broke.
The thing about summer to me it is that it’s all about freedom. Freedom to sit outside on the deck all night. Freedom to wear flip flops and no socks. Freedom to eat myself silly with fresh fruit, melon and vegetables grown with love right here in our hometown. Freedom to go to outside concerts, festivals and fairs – to picnic from blankets and enjoy the dark, starlit nights and the private light show at dusk by our friends the fireflies.
I am not ready for the slaying of the senses that accompany summer to end; the sights and sounds and tastes. Summer is a cacophony of delightful wonders.
It’s about the food: Fried pickles and chocolate dipped strawberries. Homemade sangria and grilled zucchini. Elephant Ears, cotton candy and kettle corn at the fair – and sun tea, fresh cucumbers and homemade salsa at home.
It’s about the sounds: Playing the Jimmy Buffett CD over and over again, while drinking margaritas and dancing the salsa. It’s about the night music of the cicadas and the owls. The yell of an umpire, the roar of a racecar, the barking of a dog.
It’s about the smells: Coppertone, citronella and grilled burgers. Chlorine and campfires and charcoal.
When the heat ends, and we can sleep with our windows open – yet still wear short – that is when the planets align and all is well in my world. It is the magical time when summer is ending and fall is just around the corner….there are still fresh tomatoes in the garden but the apples are almost ripe for the picking.
Summer, I am not yet ready to bid you goodbye – but if you friend fall wants to hang out a bit with us before you leave, I will gladly put out the welcome mat.