After last weekend's countdown, you might think that I believe summer has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Not true! Here are a few things I look forward to during the hotter months.
5. Afternoon storms. Where I live, it's very common for sudden rain showers to pop up in the afternoon. Some days, this actually cools things off to a pleasant evening temperature. Other days, it's just a good excuse to stay inside in the air conditioning and watch, say, six straight hours of True Blood on DVD. Either way, if you're paying attention, you can often spot a nice rainbow through the steam.
4. Friendly, non-biting bugs. Butterflies, fireflies, dragonflies...hot summer days and nights are great for spotting these lovelies.
3. Summer events. Georgia Shakespeare, movies at the Fabulous Fox, concerts at Chastain Park...these are all things that have been adding fun to my Atlanta summers for many years now.
2. Skimpy clothing. It's nice to be able to throw on minimal clothing and be done with it. Plus, as someone who makes clothes, summer garments have lots of advantages over their cold weather counterparts. They're less expensive to make because there's not as much yardage to buy, and they're quicker because there's less tailoring, not much lining, and sleeve seams are shorter or non-existent. Also, two words: sleeping naked.
1. The food! Picnics, cookouts, dinner for two on the porch--yes, yes, yes. At this time of year, I get excited about plentiful veggies at the downtown Decatur Farmers Market, blackberries that grow wild in our neighborhood, and fresh herbs from my own garden (nothing smells more like summer than fresh basil). We keep a big bowl of some kind of cold salad (tossed green, pasta,
black bean, potato, cole slaw) in the fridge at all times for handy
lunches. And on a hot evening, it's hard to beat a quick trip to your favorite ice cream shop. Yum!!!
Summer, you're not all bad!
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