I fantasize about summer.
I grew up in Southern California where the weather is pretty much summer all of the time, except in the fall when it is like a kind of mild indian summer, and then in the winter when it is a little like spring, but not as unpredictable. Now I live in Colorado just south of Denver, where predictable weather is something we make fun of.
However, summer here is pretty extraordinary- long, warm, days cooling off just enough at night, but not so much that you get those goosebumps from the temperature drop. Clear, sunny mornings and thundershowers most afternoon that blow away just in time for a big sunset show over the mountains. I love to go downtown and sit at night in one of those restaurants where the windows just come off for the summer, or have a drink on one of the rooftop bars, and watch all the girls in their short dresses out to impress the boys at the clubs. I love that air-conditioning is a luxury here and not absolutely necessary. I love watching the thunderclouds in the afternoons and the colors they turn as the sun is going down. I love watching the light shows in the thunderclouds at night and the big rumbling sound of the thunder. I love the wildflowers in the mountains and all the icy clear streams. And everyone out hiking and camping and enjoying it all.
But summer is short; it lasts pretty much from mid-June until Labor Day. Oh yeah, and long about the end of July we often get a blight of mosquitoes (because our neighbor basically has a marsh in her yard) that renders it impossible to leave the house in spite of nice weather. So between the short summers, the occasional hailstorm in July, the mosquitoes who don't allow you to weed in August and the deer who come through and eat everything, gardening is pretty much impossible. (My hat tips to you, O brave Colorado gardeners!)
But in spite of any negatives, I look forward to summer most of the year. September and October can be really quite nice, but then the snows come and kill anything green, and somewhere mid-December I'm looking forward to summer. By February I am planning visits home to see some leaves, in April I am ready to throw something because it seems like everywhere else in the world is getting spring and a few nice days where we're still getting 6-10 inches of heavy wet snow, in May the slush and mud and teasingly nice mornings followed by windy cold afternoons make me want to hide my head under the covers, and then June comes along with leaf buds on the trees and- ah, June- and all seems like it may be well again with the world soon. Socks won't be necessary forever. Thank you June.
Last night Willy came home from work and asked me to help him detail his car. It was three years worth of filthy. We had a lot of scrubbing to do. Normally this job would be particularly unpleasant, but it was rendered fairly pleasant by the fact that we were outside on one of the first very nice evenings of the summer. I sat on the driveway with a scrub brush going at the rubber floor mat with Goo Gone and watched the sun go down. It was just about a perfect evening.
And it was perfect because we did it together. Without a baby needing something or someone. She was asleep. And we got that car clean, together. It felt good to achieve something worthwhile with my wonderful husband. We discussed opening a car detailing company together just so we could do it all the time.
I fantasize about vacations on the Caribbean with Will. We used to do these before we had a baby. Before we were a one-income household. Before we owned a mortgage and a dog.
I dream about the warm sand, late mornings, pina coladas sweating in a plastic cup, bachata music, cool blue swimming pools, and having nothing to do but get up early enough to get a good spot at the beach. Ah, the sound of the ocean, and that incredible blue and white of the water and foam. The little sun dresses and light sandals and silly hats and sunglasses. Sunburns.
You are right. I don't fantasize about sunburns.
Which reminds me of the time I went to Mexico to the beach and got a heat rash.
I don't fantasize about heat rash either, or all the other weird rashes my crazy sensitive skin breaks out in every time I do anything out of the ordinary.
For some reason I also think about all the browning people you see at resorts, with the funny tan lines on their but where their leg creases when they are lying on their face all day in the sun. I guess because it is fun to watch them. And the European women who tan topless... OK, I tanned topless too, next to the European women so as to blend in. But there is something very nice about the feeling of sun on your naked boobies.
Yes, and this was also in the days when I looked pretty decent in a bikini. Frankly, I am a little afraid to put one on right now.
But best of all, I fantasize about having my husband relaxed, happy, a beer in hand, all to myself, with no where else he should be and nothing else he should be doing.
And looking at these fantasies, I note that a common theme in them is time spent with my husband. My perfect, wonderful, sexy, fun, smart, amazing, (yes, I'll say it) patient, husband. I love you, Willy. Thanks for sharing your life with me.
