Summa Time, Summa Time, Sum, Sum, Summa Time . . .

Ahhhh . . . the 5 senses that are summer time!


I just don't understand how some people don't enjoy summer time?  I can't grasp it simply because summer time is the best.  Granted, I love the other seasons as well.  Fall brings me pumpkin pie yogurt from Yogurtland, Winter brings me Christmas . . . and pumpkin spice steamers from Starbucks, and Spring brings me Easter and beautifully perfect weather.  Summer though?  Its brings me so much more!

The smells.


One of the greatest parts of summer are the smells!  You agree?  You know that smell early in the morning when its warm but not hot and you just know its going to be a beautiful day with a bright blue sky?  That's a good smell.  What about the smell of barbeque's grilling all day every day?  The other morning I was actually in bed still and I smelled my neighbors barbecue grilling up something delicious, maybe steak and eggs?  You can't forget the smell of chlorine on every little kids skin . . . or your own skin!  The good ol chlorine smell that even after you shower you can still smell stuck to your skin and in your hair.  Oh, the smell of sunscreen and tanning lotions too!  That coconut and pina colada smell that you just want to eat!  Or even right now, at 11:00pm, I can smell the night blooming jasmine coming through the windows in the breeze.  I'd have to say that the best sense that is summer has got to be the smells.

The sights.


Well . . . you start with beautiful bright blue skies daily, that's always a great sight to see.  Then, there are all the people everywhere.  Generally, I'm not a big fan of people all over the place, but during summertime for some reason its all okay.  Kids are everywhere.  They are riding bikes, playing football in the neighborhood, jumping in the pool and walking down the street.  They are doing things that kids are supposed to do, they are outside, and that's a good thing.  If you know me at all, you know that one of my favorite sights is the beach.  Sure, seeing a good looking tan guy walking down the beach is nice, but I'm talking about seeing things even better than that at the beach.  Seeing the water and all the great things that the water can bring.  The sun shining on the ocean is so beautiful, along with the sunsetting behind it.  The sea creatures that come out because of the ocean water, the dolphins, the birds, the sand crabs.  Ugh, summer is just awesome.  Do you not agree with me?

The sounds.


I'm going to begin repeating myself here but its just all so wonderful!  The sound of kids playing outside is awesome, I love it.  The sound of waves crashing and birds chirping has to make you smile.  What about the sound of the ice cream truck????  Remember that?  Yeah, we still have one that does its tour around the neighborhood, too bad they are slowly dying off though.  Every Thursday in the summer, one of our local parks has Concerts in the Park.  They have a different genre each week and its so fun!  Its like our whole city is at that park and you throw down your blanket and just lay there listening to the bands, those are great summer sounds.  We all know that the sound of fireworks is clearly an indication of summer as well, we all witnessed that last week right?  

The tastes.


Of course, the fair is the first thing you should think of if your town is anything like mine.  It's tradition to go to the Orange County Fair every year and that is clearly a summertime event.  The tastes of the fair just screams summer.  Every fried food you could imagine is at the fair!  For our family the tastes of the fair are grilled corn on the cob, pulled BBQ pork sandwiches and frozen lemonade.  Those are the must-haves every year!  Every now and then we will throw in a funnel cake or a corn dog or some curly fries, it just depends.  The tastes of anything bbq'ed or salads for dinner are clearly summertime favorites in our house as well.  What about the taste of nachos and pretzels from a baseball game?  Though they never taste good, you have to have a pretzel and nachos from the game.  The tastes from Farmer's Markets are obviously a summertime favorite as well.  Sweet potatoes, strawberries, oranges, peaches, all of those delicious summertime fruits and vegetables.  Um, we can't forget ice cream and yogurt too!  Is it just my family that tastes all of these delicious flavors that are summer?

Touch.


When you think of this sense, touch, and you think of summertime, what comes to your mind?  My first thought is . . .  sunburns.  Yikes.  We all lather on that sunscreen but get so caught up in having fun outside that we come home at the end of the day with that infamous summertime sunburn.  It happens every year and there is no stopping it.  Oh, what about the touch of a cool pool or the freezing cold ocean?  Is that not summer to you?  What about the feel of your cool sheets the second you get in bed or flipping over your pillow for one quick second of that cool feeling?  Touching the warm sand between your fingers and toes will bring you straight to summer.  Or walking barefoot in general, whether it be the hot asphalt or a cool tile floor.  Being barefoot happens 90% of the time in my house during summer.

  


I love summer.  I love everything about summer, even those pesky and idiotic June bugs that actually come out in July!

Happy summer and cheers to warm summer nights!


XoXo Jen