Today I cried

 I cried today. I am currently reading a book titled "A man called OVE". It's a great book that brings out many emotions - laughter, anger, happiness and today tears. I was reading a chapter on how he met and married his wife. That part brought on happiness and laughter on how they met and decided to marry. At the end of the chapter it described how his wife was in the hospital and died with him holding her hand and how he held it for over an hour after she died. After reading this my emotions came on strong.  It made me think of Susan. I wasn't with her when she died. I couldn't hold her hand. I left the hospital thinking I'd be back in a few hours. She wasn't supposed to die so fast. Then I got a call from her daughter that she passed away suddenly. I'm glad that her daughters were there when she died but I should have been there too. I wish I could have been holding her hand. In the book Ove said his life ended when his wife died. I went through a rough period after Susan died but I never felt that my life was over. I was  fortunate to have my three children close by and they supported me. I still miss Susan and I won't forget her. We had a good life together but I was able to move on and find happiness and joy in my life again.

Ode to Summer

 

Summer.  A season enjoyed by many.

Summer sneaks in sometimes in May with a few days in the seventies or even the eighties. But then spring says ‘not so fast’ and brings the temperature back to the fifties or even the forties. May is the preparation month for summer. Everything is turning green, the grass, the trees and the flowers are starting to bloom.Gardens are being planted. Summer is saying  ‘look out here I come!’ .

June is when summer makes its presence known. It may start out cool but by mid-month the temperatures are rising and there even might be a heat wave. The days are longer and the nights are shorter. It’s time to put the jeans and sweatshirts away replaced by shorts and short sleeved shirts. Everything is in full bloom now and gardens planted in May are starting to grow. June might be the time for the first trip to the beach. The sun feels so good on your body as you relax in the sand. The water temperature is still cold but you go in anyways. ‘Refreshing” you say as your feet turn blue! It does feel good thought after laying in the sun. The long summer days feel so good!

July is when summer shows it’s full colors. Heat waves are more frequent with temperatures reaching the nineties or even one hundred. This is when you hear people saying ‘its not the heat but the humidity’. It can get pretty humid and many will retreat to air-conditioned homes.But true summer lovers will still enjoy the weather.  It’s the time for forth of July parades and picnics. It's a time to sit on the safety of a porch and watch a thunderstorm as it move through..It’s the time for and ice cold beer in a frosted glass or maybe a margarita or some other tropical drink. It’s a time to go to a baseball game where you enjoy an overpriced hot dog and beer while you root on the home team. It's time to enjoy vegetables picked fresh from the garden. Corn on the cob never tasted so good! It's also a time for ice cream, that might melt over your hand before you can eat it all. 

August is a mixed month. It can start out as hot as July and there might be another heat wave. But by the end of the month with the days getting shorter there might be a chill in some nights. The air conditioner can give way to open windows at night.  Most vegetables are harvested by now and the grass isn’t growing as fast.

September is the month where summer says “not so fast, I’m not done yet”. The days in early September can be as warm as July but the nights are starting to feel cooler. The days are getting even shorter and don’t hold the heat as well. It’s a time for state fairs where the slightly cooler temperatures are welcomed. By the end of the month when autumn sneaks in it might be time to bring out the jeans and sweatshirts again.

By October summer is over but might come back for a curtain call as “Indian Summer”. The temperatures might reach the seventies for a few days but it’s short-lived. Autumn lovers will say that this is the best time. Trees are turning colors and start losing their leaves. By the end of the month there will probably be frost on the pumpkins and summer has retreated for another year.