Summer

Blog hopping this week! Check out everyone’s favorite summer time memories and traditions on the Down Syndrome Blogs Blog Hop!

So what do I love about summer, and what do I hope to share with Rowenna?

It’s the sound of summer. It starts with being able to finally leave windows open and waking up to fresh air in the house. Hearing the hum of lawn mowers and the delighted chatter of neighbor children without being muffled by layers of glass. The buzz of cicadas and bees, the birds chirping. Neighbors barbecuing, eating outside and laughing. Everything and everyone just sounds so alive, relieved to be up and about after winter. The sound of wind blowing through leaves and rain pitter pattering through the trees instead of the cold creaking of branches in the winter.

It’s the movement of summer. The digging and hauling and weeding. The mowing and trimming. The jogging and biking and swimming. The long road trips and impromptu stops along the way. The strolling and sunbathing instead of the hurry up to the car to get out of the cold.

Summer 2011

It’s the taste of summer. Fresh berries, watermelon, corn on the cob. Things we can eat all year but taste the best when they are local and fresh. Popsicles and ice cream. Burgers off the grill. Fair food you know you shouldn’t eat but indulge in anyway – things that are deep fried and sugar coated.

It’s the light we get in summer. The cheerful morning sun, the hazy heat of the afternoon, the endless pink-and-orange sunsets. Long patches of sunlight that move lazily across the living room floor. Dappled spots of sunlight as you sit under a big leafy tree.

Summer 2012

It’s the promise of summer. The green shoots popping up in the ground, plants that will be heavy with tomatoes and peppers. The endless days with so much time to have fun and move and grow. Seeing people you haven’t seen all year. Staying up long past bedtime to sit around a fire, watch a movie, talk.

I want summer to be a golden time for Rowenna, full of rich memories and new experiences. And if our past three summers are any indication, I think summers will be a bright spot in her memories!