summer summer summer summer summer!
Summer is really here, y'all. I know most of you are totally aware of this, but really, it wasn't until last week that I finally gave up carrying a sweater with me just in case Ol' Lady Winter was still hanging around to throw a chilly gust my way. It seems she's taken leave, and with Summer fully in charge around here, check out what she's brought my way:1. Chaco tan! I have one again! I got my first pair of Chacos as a gift from my parents back in 2007. I wore them as often as possible, which, when Texas often gives you 70 degree weeks in January, was a lot. Last fall I retired them earlier than I would have liked, and given their wear after sporting them every day almost all of three years, my parents sent me the newest pair. And finally, I see the white stripes and tan triangles that mean I am outside, that summer air passes over the tops of my feet, that I'm warm!2. Bell peppers, tomatoes, baby radishes, strawberries, cherries, green plums, etc! Fruits! Vegetables! I'm so happy. I've been chomping bell peppers like apples. I am mixing some killer salsas. I'm snacking on coriander, tomato, and house cheese sandwiches. I can't eat enough cucumbers. I saw a friend post on Facebook recently that he and a friend were headed out to a farmer's market; I couldn't help but smile, realizing that I live in a farmers market, that my streets are lined with tasty goodness.3. Porch-sitting! I tend to take Spring Chicken on long walks around town. Half of the interactions we have are with stray and kept dogs who bark and growl and make to challenge the Chicken. However, the other half are porch-sitters. There's a group of men on a corner who always end up asking me for money, somehow in a charming way. There's an older woman who I usually catch during chores, who is always concerned about The Chicken after the disappearance of my Sanity. There's a man I've run into a few times, a smiler with a hunched back who pushes a tiny girl around the roads by my house. The girl has down-syndrome; she stares in wonder at the potholes they dodge.This general outside-ness is a wonderful thing about summer here, one we don't have nearly as much in so-hot-it-hurts Texas. I'm in love with sitting outside with the pup and a book; I'm thrilled by the recent move of my landfather's and my nightly nardi games to the front porch.4. New Volunteers! Let's not forget that this summer brings to Armenia a new group of Peace Corps Volunteers. I've seen them all twice now. They've only been here a little over a week, so they're still well-groomed. They're clothes still look fresh. I saw make-up and hair gel being worn. Only a few greasy locks. They're chipper and excited. And, maybe, just maybe, one of them may be coming to live in my town. An American friend. HERE. IcanhardlycontainmyselfI'msofreakingexcitedaboutthat! Of course, I'm not counting my chickens, but I am one of two of three PCV's here who goes full months at a time before seeing another American. Could be pretty dang neat to have one living in walking distance.I'm not adding to this list Summer's not so wonderful offerings like bugs and allergies I didn't know I had. Or the migration of a good friend's husband indefinitely to Moscow. It's not all coming up bell peppers. But the sun is getting up early every morning to let me know I should enjoy as much of the day as I can.