Rites of Summer

New place. Familiar season. Confusion.

It's summer-time in Oregon (the Northern Hemisphere, generally speaking). It's 52 degrees on June 18th at 9:30 a.m. I have been wearing a light jacket or "hoodie" for about 2 months now. I suspect this will be case for most of the year. But, this very act is messing with my psyche. You see, I am accustomed to marking the beginning of summer (in Texas that would be mid-May) with a trip to the pool (outdoors, heated by the sun, with 90+ degree heat surrounding my body and sunshine beaming down on everyone). Then, summer routine sets in. Wake up, eat breakfast/brunch and head out to the pool about 10a.m., snack on berries and lemonade and nuts while reading for 15 minutes, dipping into the pool to cool off for 10 minutes (repeat as needed), go home about 1:30p.m, shower off and lotion up, put shorts and sleeveless shirt on, take a nap/do some school work/visit friends/go to mall or movies, prepare salad and some meat for the grill, eat dinner (with or without friends), head outside with the electric fan (hot patio and it keeps mosquitoes at bay for a little while), start swatting the mosquitoes after an hour ( they get hungry and persevere through the "fan wind") and head back inside, shower off (again, because of the sweat and general stickiness and perhaps the smoke from the grill is still stuck to your skin), slip into thin cotton gown, baby oil slathered on, watch some re-runs or a movie, head to bed about 10:30pm (the sun has been gone for an hour and a half!).

That was my routine. Everyday. It was great! I miss that. I don't know anything else. So wearing this blue "hoodie" is confusing for me. It is summer (the calendar tells me so), but there hasn't been a rite of passage into summer this year. I don't know what to do with myself quite frankly. Go to the pool? HA! It's 52 degrees, remember? Sip some lemonade? How about some hot cocoa, it's 52 degrees! I guess I'll go curl up on the sofa with a blanket and a book and a cup of hot (rather than iced) tea.

Okay, so here are some exceptional things about summer in Oregon (my mom says I should find the bright side): STRAWBERRIES (they taste naturally like a Welch's Strawberry drink),
CHERRIES ($1.99/lb woohoo), NO MOSQUITOES (that I'm aware of), FLOWERS ARE STILL BLOOMING (holy cow!! you should see some of the flowers you could buy at the farmers markets, which are an every Saturday occurrence at various convenient locations and I should say they make this "brighter side" list) NO HUMIDITY, NO STICKY, ICKY, SWEATING, and it's 52 degrees outside at 9:48a.m on a Wednesday morning in mid/late June.