ARE YOU READY FOR SUMMER?

Recently I have written about parents preparing for summer, school ending, the garden and in the Spring wanting to go on some road trips. Well here we are at the end of June. All the preparation, organization, wishful thinking, ideas and family plans are about to begin. For many though there is a transition time. Children moving to a new class. Lessons over for a season. School routine replaced by a camp routine. There is summer traffic that gets replaced by Construction! Along with the "yeah" summer is here, there is also some sad moments- saying goodbye to a teacher or principal moving away. Friends going to a different school next year. At work, people going on vacation so the workload doubles to cover for that person. For me, I often remember summers from the past. Camping and cottaging with family! The water sports- skiing and canoeing- are done sporadically now. It was such a part of my daily life as a young person! Now I have some Stat days and a week's vacation which I try to pack as much summer living to the point it almost exhausts me. For the last few years I was on pins and needles worrying about the folks out west and always keeping weeks of vacation in my vacation bank! Ready to fly west at any time! Different this year with Mom passing away in February and Dad secure in a safe nursing home setting. The old worry creeps up sometimes but then I remember, no it is over! I can concentrate on my family and myself! What will this summer bring? I am sure there will be some surprises- good ones I hope? Then I remember good summers, indifferent ones and painful ones! Adolph's folks both died in the summer months- one in August and the other in July, many years apart. A beautiful grandson was born in the summer! One of my trips to Italy was in the summer! One daughter married in the summer! Hot summers! Rainy summers! Cool summers! All shapes and sizes! Although the months are the same length as other months, summer always seems to go too quickly. To answer my question, I am ready for summer. A couple of road trips, big family barbecue day, trip to a friend's cottage, small barbecue for Canada Day and watching my grandchilren in August to let my daughter and son celebrate their anniversary are planned. The rest of the time I think I will roll with my mood, attack my pile of books for reading, work on a writing project or two, of course exercise more but otherwise do as little as possible if that mood hits me too. Benefitting from my husband's hard work in the garden with many veggie dishes to enjoy!  " Summertime and the living is easy "strikes me as my mantra this year! So are you ready for summer or are you just going to roll with whatever comes your way? Whatever you plan to do, make it a good one!