"If spring is all about looking forward, and
autumn about dying back, summer surely
is the present moment: a long, hot now that
marks the sultry climax of the year . . . and a
stillness settles over the land."
MELISSA HARRISON, Summer Anthology, "Introduction"
What floats up from the Tickle Trunk of childhood memories on this sweltering day is remembering how exciting it was, as a girl, when the temperature climbed as high as 80F (we didn't use Celsius in those days). My little sister and I would study the thermometer, peering up to where it was securely attached to the kitchen window sill. We were much more used to temperatures being in the high 60s to mid 70s. But on a day when it actually hit 80 degrees, well, we knew we were in for a treat. Running through the sprinkler would be a lot more fun and not quite the shock when the cold water hit already slightly shivering skin. Watermelon definitely tasted better when it was really, really hot out. And, of course, there was the exciting challenge of licking Popsicles fast enough to keep them from dripping a syrupy trail through your fingers onto your fresh, clean shorts. You could smell the fresh cut hay in the fields as the warm air moved.
I smile because it's all part of that sweet summertime feeling. Here are a few other little things that added to that feeling this week.
Summer Reading
I've got Madeleine L'Engle's children novel A Wrinkle in Time on the go. And I just purchased Kate Quinn's newest novel The Briar Club. Hot off the press, it's a "haunting and powerful story of female friendships and secrets in a Washington, D.C., boarding house in the McCarthy era (1950)". Looking forward to it. I still hope to reread Kate's wonderful WWII novel The Rose Code which is a firm favourite of mine. And I think I'm going to tackle Homer's ancient Greek tale The Odyssey. I don't think I've ever read, except maybe in a children's collection decades ago. I won't be reading it in Greek, although I should ask my niece and brother if they could read it, since they studied the language in college.)
A Summer Meal
Smash burgers are new to me. Until I started seeing reels about them on social media, I'd never heard of them, so I chased down some recipes to have for supper one of these sweltering days. The recipe I found is called Smash Taco Burgers. It uses soft flour tortillas instead of buns with a simple but delicious sounding burger sauce (all your favourite condiments mixed into one tasty sauce). The trick is to take a mound of seasoned ground beef and squish it flat-flat on the grill or pan with a large spatula so it spreads out about the same size as a 6" tortilla. For the recipe click HERE. Our first attempt was fine but we need a little practice before showing any pics. It was delish.
Summer Evenings
One of the nice things about hot summer evenings is watching the neighbourhood come alive as the day begins to cool. Some people are out watering their plants or washing their vehicle by hand; others stand on the sidewalk chatting with people walking by. Dogs are definitely happier to be out at this time of day. There's a gentle buzz in the air that is just so right. Makes me feel 'ah, now this is the life'. We sit out with a book; we read a few pages, stop to gaze into the blue skies, listen to the bees in the flowers, watch the fellow now polishing his car with great TLC. We track the gulls climbing higher and higher on the thermals until they are a tiny speck way, way up. Our little neighbours who are up way past their bedtime come for cookies and a visit. But hey, it's summertime and the livin' is easy. It feels good.
As I type this closing paragraph, it's now Friday morning. The air is cooler and the breeze wafts through the window, bringing with it the scent of mock orange. It promises to be a beautiful day. And that's what I wish for you, too. A beautiful day and a pleasant weekend ahead.
❦
Heart hugs,
Brenda
Photo credits:
"Last of the Peonies"
Brenda Leyland @ It's A Beautiful Life
My Summer blog schedule:
I post on Fridays
I have been enjoying the summer evenings this week ... soft breezes that finally cool down the day. Our back deck is like a bonus room on these lovely evenings, where we gather to visit and enjoy the green green green of the lawn, the rustling leaves in the wood, and the wildflowers blooming in the garden.
ReplyDeleteP.S. LOVE the peonies.
DeleteHow lovely to imagine your back deck as that bonus room - I'd be sitting out there for sure on such pleasant evenings. Oh, and your mention of the green, green, green of the lawn. Oh yes, my eyes are feasting with all the green this summer. It's a joy!
DeleteBrenda, you post the most wonderful quotes. I love today's topic, and the scene you describe is lovely. Here, it's often too buggy to sit outside for long on a summer evening. I wonder how people dealt with insects in the time before air conditioning, and this scene was familiar to everyone. Has it gotten more buggy over time, I wonder.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Becki, I love it when I come across a great quotation. And it's a great pleasure to share them here with you here on the blog. We don't have AC but our house stays cool enough most days. Unless it gets really hot like in the 90Fs. That's too hot for us. :) Take care.
DeleteSounds like a beautiful day, I love those summer days where people are outside and you can hear the bees buzzing and the birds singing. It's been pretty drizzly here this week (NW England) and it is currently 14C (57F), so not that warm really, but I'm hoping for some sunshine next week! Those white roses are just gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteSarah, thank you so much for stopping by... all the way from NW England. We hear that you've been having cooler and wetter weather of late, so I'll hope with you for some warmer sunshine weather in the days ahead. The white roses you refer to are actually peonies. They were stars this summer, and they tend to do better than roses in these parts (here in central to northerly Alberta, Canada). Although our climbing pink rose is faring well this year. I look forward to coming to visit your blog.
DeleteOh really, peonies? I do love peonies but really thought they were roses - but I can see now the leaves are totally wrong for roses. So pretty. I really would like to plant some peonies in our garden at some point.
DeleteSummer days and evenings are just the BEST! My childhood memories echo yours - watermelon dripping down my chin, licking popsicles FAST, and the scent of freshly cut hay, or sometimes grass from the lawn. I grew up in Kamloops and it got very hot!
ReplyDeleteThose peonies - breathtaking, even though I saw the photo on FB, too. Lots of sunshine here these days and I'm loving it!
Lorrie, I'm glad you're enjoying your summer days. Those childhood summer memories are the best. I wish that everyone could have such good memories of the season. I am grateful for our memories. Happy day! Thanks for popping by.
DeleteHello Brenda....Loved your post. Your summertime memories made me smile. I remember those sticky popsicles and yummy fudgsicles as well. Oh, I'd love to have a whiff of those orange blossoms. A most lovely post, dear Brenda. Enjoy each precious moment of summertime. Susan
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susan. Oh yes, yummy fudgsicles are a firm forever summer favourite. They didn't seem to drip quite as quickly as those sticky popsicles. Such delightful memories for so many of us.
DeleteBrenda, my thoughts go back to Summer evenings when we lived in France. The weather was kinder there, warmth seemed to be all around till quite late. Mosquito candles were lit and the smell lingered joining lavender and roses on the terrace. It was late in the evening before we wandered in, closing the BBQ and blowing out the nightlights. And then the very best scent of Night Scented stock would waft around. Perfect evenings!
ReplyDeleteYour description of Summer evenings in France sounds heavenly. I first 'met' you in Blogland when you and Malcolm were still living there. I remember feeling sad for you when you both had to move back to England. But the memories are sweet for you, and I'm glad. I wait for those evenings when the night scented stock is big enough to scent the air late in the evening. It makes life worth living to catch that fragrance on the breeze. Thank you, Barbara, for lighting up my Sunday afternoon with your thoughts.
DeleteChildhood summers seemed endless, filled with time to lollygag and read and sip lemonade and play outside with neighborhood friends and, yes, eat popsicles! I remember being hot and the fans were whirring, but the heat didn't bother me back then.
ReplyDeleteNowadays, I can't say that. Summer is not my favorite. But even so, there are many things to love!
Thanks, Cheryl, for your own summer holidays memories. I'm sorry that your summers are too intense to really enjoy. Wishing you the grace to get through them.
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