It's Beginning to Feel Like Summer!
After LA’s notoriously unpredictable spring and the inevitable May Gray or June Gloom, each year there’s a moment when I walk outside and finally feel summer wash over me.
Whether it's the warmth of the sun, the smell of a neighbor's pool, the clink of iced drinks on a patio, the giggle of sprinkler-soaked kids set free from the classroom, the drool-inducing waft of a backyard BBQ, a sun-lit sidewalk at 7 pm, or the fact that I can experience all of the above in a single evening walk, I look forward to the annual, subtle moment that announces summer's arrival.
Small things like these that make it feel like summer do more than announce the season's presence. They also remind us that summer doesn't have to be extravagant to be memorable.
Sometimes it's the unexpected that might tell you it is summertime. For instance, my daughter recently told me that it feels like summer when she hears the sound of a diesel engine warming up. Why? Because when she was small summer was when she would hit the road with me in the big rig.
For me, summer has arrived when the chore of cleaning out my pond is suddenly colored purple! Each summer, right on cue, my bougainvillea plant releases its vibrant purple blossoms, which gather on and cover the surface of my pond, bringing a stunning addition to the already colorful koi fish swimming below. It's a subtle, beautiful, seasonal moment that I've come to look forward to annually.
It's nice to be reminded that the everyday elements of summer, be it the sound of your dad's diesel engine or the splash of purple in your pond, seem to make a deeper, longer-lasting impression than the big events.