Summer Smells

There are some things about this world that I think are wonderful gifts straight from heaven - and one of my favorite things is SUMMER! Now that I am getting older, the heat is a little hard to take, but I still love it! One of the only good things about living in the Midwest is that we have such a stark contrast between winter and summer, that it makes summertime even MORE delightful! Since it is the beginning of our summer season (technically, still spring for a few more weeks), some summer smells have just made me smile and bring back such wonderful childhood memories.

One of those smells is fresh cut grass. Even though it often makes me sneeze, I treasure this smell. It reminds me of when I was 10 when we moved to a new town and riding my bike all around to see whatever I could see - although it turns out there isn't much to see in a town of 500 without even a mini mart (they have one now, but not back then) or stop light. One time, we drove 10 miles away on a super hot summer day just to get some ice cream. My Dad drove so fast that we felt like a jet airplane getting ready for takeoff when we hit the HIGHEST SPOT IN HENDRICKS COUNTY - and if you are from there, you know exactly where I'm talking about. My dear friend hit a cow there once. Oh, I have side tracked..... 

Fresh cut grass reminds me of playing at my Grandma and Grandpa's house. It reminds me of waiting for Grandpa to be done mowing so we could put up the slip and slide. We would run and flop down on our bellies so hard and slide so fast, off into the freshly cut grass. Then I remember Grandma yelling at us to make sure we got all the grass off before we did our cannonballs into the pool. My Grandparent's house was the best place to be as a kid in the summertime. We swam in the pool for hours, ate Pizza Hut pizza, and then laid out in the sun for the appropriate 45 minutes after eating (you didn't want to get a cramp and drown). I can still picture Grandma writing out the check at home and Grandpa going to pick up the yummy pizza. You had to be sure and leave the crusts for Grandma, she loved them so much! I remember my Grandma floating in the pool and we were so jealous that she could just lay back and float, almost levitate like it was magic. Now, I realize that she had a little more, what do you say.....um.....she was a little more round than we were as kids so she could float easier. :) Now I test to make sure I CANNOT float.

One thing you may not realize, and might be one of the reasons that I love summer so much, is that my birthday falls at the beginning of July. So cookouts, pool time, summer heat, bright blue skies, blooming flowers, the gentle cooing of the mourning dove, the buzzing of the hummingbirds, and the bOOm and bANg of fireworks all bring back such fond memories of childhood. I thought all that was for MY BIRTHDAY. Silly child, I know. But the wonderful Fourth of July weekend seemed like one long holiday  -- all to celebrate me and whomever that Uncle Sam guy is. :)

One other distinct smell is that of sweat, sunscreen and chlorine all mixed together. It just smells heavenly to me. I love to spend days at the pool or beach and this smell just spells HAPPY TIMES!! I love it even more now that we have children of our own. We see how they grow each year, learning to swim, loving the water, and always yelling - "Mommy! Watch me do THIS!"  It is fantastic!

Summer may not be one of your favorite things like it is for me, but remember to enjoy the blessings are from God.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17