Top Ten Summer Feels

This is it! The last of the summer sensations posts! Whew! That was a lot of sensing and memories and thinking.

I hope that y'all have enjoyed some fond summer memories of your childhood while putting up with my summer sensations posts! :)

Here are my top ten favorite summer feels.

1. The ocean breeze.

The breeze blows Tucker's ears all over the place! LOL

2. The tickling of the bugs that land on my arm---until I realize what it is that is tickling my arm and my eyes shoot open and I swat it away.

3. The sand between my toes.

Those are not my toes BUT, in celebration of DoodleBug's new job, I did have my first ever pedicure with her and my toe nails are red right now. :)

4. The ocean water rushing over my feet.

Again, not my toes. LOL

5. The sun on my skin.

Not me. But not that far off from reality. LOL

6. The grass when lying on it and looking at the clouds.

7. Air Conditioning. What can I say? It gets really hot and humid down here and I am spoiled.

8. Cool sheets. I turn on my ceiling and window fans along with the AC and my sheets get nice and cool. They feel great. And it has nothing to do with the fact that they have polka dots on them. LOL

Yes, those are my summer sheets!

9. Sheets hanging on the line to dry as the wind blows them all around me. I used to go outside and stand between the sheets hanging on the line when I was a kid. It was so great when the wind blew them around. They were soft and light colored and I loved to dance around between them.

10. When I put my hand outside the boat and feel the water pushing hard against it. I imagine it's the same as it is for surfers. Same with putting my arm outside the car and the air does this.

And that concludes my summer sensations posts! Thanks for sticking through them! 

Top Ten Summer Tastes

Quite a few of you have commented on my summer senses posts asking if I was linking them ( HERE, HERE, HERE). No, I'm not linking them. I'm just working through some summer nostalgia. And, no, I don't mind at all if y 'all want to do posts like them of your own! As a matter of fact, I'd LOVE to read them if you do! 

SO- we're getting close to the end of my summer-sensations-nostalgic posts. LOL Just a couple more posts to go- this one and the favorite feels one and I'll be done. Until I discover that I have more nostalgia related issues to work through. :)

Here are my top ten favorite summer tastes:

1. Watermelon!!! Always will be on this list!

2. The salt on my lips from the ocean breeze.

3. Tomatoes fresh from the garden. They always take me back to summer days eating slices of tomatoes on my Grandmother's biscuits made from scratch, daily!

4. Lemonade and tea (I didn't put the 'sweet' part because, down here in the south, there is no such thing as tea that isn't sweet) mixed together. Half and half!

5. Ice cream! Especially if it's home churned. And peach!

6. Cherries! I can eat them until I'm sick!

7. Corn on the cob! So sweet! I am particularly fond of the kind that is so sweet you don't have to use butter or anything else on it!

8. Saltwater taffy. My Grandmother LOVED that stuff. I ate it because she did. And now, I'll get it sometimes just to take me back...

9. Coca-Cola in a glass bottle with Tom's peanuts in it. I don't drink sodas anymore but this was my favorite treat at the pool snack bar when I was a kid.

10. Anything grilled. While grilling can be done anytime, food just tastes better off the grill during the summer months.

Ok, SHARE! I want to know all about your favorite summer tastes!

Summertime Stringing

Of the beans. I've been getting string beans (green beans) in my CSA box lately and quickly realized that stringing beans is another one of those memory joggers. And, not nearly as much fun as it was when I helped my grandmother with this summer chore.

We had relatives who were mill workers AND farmers when I was growing up. Every summer, my grandmother and I and my brothers when they came to join our family, spent weeks 'putting up' fresh off the farm vegetables for the winter.

We put up corn and green beans and peas (of all sorts) and tomatoes and pickles (cucumbers) and water melon rind pickles (so good!). And then there were the preserves- strawberry, peach, fig. And the fruit- peaches, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries.

Our early summers were filled with canning/freezing these summer delights that we enjoyed year 'round thanks to Grandmother.

We would shuck bushel upon bushel upon bushel upon bushel of corn and Grandmother would scrape the kernels off the cobs. Her glasses and kitchen windows would be covered in corn spittle. It was hilarious! She put up the best corn I've ever eaten in my life to this very day. No matter what veggie or fruit she was working on, Grandmother took care and stayed with it until the job was completed to perfection. All the while humming her favorite hymns.

I don't put up bushels of anything around here. I've tried, but it's just not the same. I probably didn't pay enough attention to Grandmother's techniques or maybe I just don't have what it takes to take this on each summer.

Then there's the fact that the fruit and veggies that are made available to us these days taste nothing like the fruits and veggies Grandmother had access to. She chose all her produce from farmers who did not use pesticides. Most of them still didn't back then. We could eat all those goods canned with love by her hands without fear of the food making us sick over time.

Nowadays, we have to join a CSA and not all of them are certified organic. And, the ones that say they are, might be lying through their teeth. Even if they are telling the truth, who's to say that the very dirt they grow their veggies in isn't full of some sort of chemical death from neighboring farms or from pollution brought to the ground via rain or some other way that is known or unknown to the growers and to us?

I'm afraid that we are getting to that point in time where we have no escape from chemicals in our food and our water and our air. There is simply nowhere to run.

We didn't know how good we had it back in those days. Back when a good bit of our summer days were spent shucking and stringing and shelling and even picking. We could eat anything we picked right off the vine if we wanted to without downing more chemical pesticide than fruit.

A good many of our summer days were spent in laughter and love and learning from the company and wisdom of Grandmother while up to our waists in fresh, pesticide free produce.

Do y'all put up veggies? 

Top Ten Summer Sights

And so the summer sensations posts continue.

I am still feeling a bit nostalgic this summer though posts like these have certainly helped in making them quite positive instead of sad. Perhaps there will come a day when I learn to miss people without dwelling on the loss and to accept my bad decisions and live with them as well. Then again...:)

Ok, it's time to talk about what we like to see during the summer months.

Here are my top ten summer sights:

1. The different shades of green on the trees. The shades are so varied and pretty!

Photo found here

2. The sand covering my feet at the beach every time the water passes over. No, those are not my feet.

Photo found here

3. The gulls at the beach and those little sandpipers who flit here and there running away as the water rushes towards them. And the crabs and the shells and...LOL Yes, I do realize this could have been my 1-20.

4. Watermelon. I always love the bright red color of watermelon. Red IS my favorite color you know. AND, it always takes me back to time spent with my Granddaddy on the porch in the summer eating that delicious goodness!

Photo found here

5. Fireworks on the 4th of July. I know there are fireworks other times of the year, but I just think they're special on the 4th.

Fourth of July fireworks in Charleston, SC

6. Beach balls! I love these big balls of striped color. Have y'all noticed that there are way more color choices these days? In my day it seemed that they all looked like this:

Photo found here

7. Tomatoes growing in the garden. This always reminds me of Grandmother's daily, from scratch biscuits dripping with butter and a tomato slice. Heave. Pure heaven. 

8. The sunlight shimmering on the ocean.

9. Soft serve ice cream cones! Love the swirls!

Photo found here

10. The shapes that appear in those big, white, billowy clouds as they pass overhead.

Photo found here

Ok, it's time for y'all to share your favorite summer sights!

Top Ten Summer Sounds

I can't figure out which of the senses stirs my memories of childhood summers the most. It seems like they all play a huge role in this. Especially, for some reason, this summer.

I couldn't find a video of two sounds but I did find the other eight! Just close your eyes and listen. Did the sounds take you back?

Here are my top ten favorite summer sounds:

1. Cicadas. Y'll knew that one was coming. I go immediately back to summer evenings when I was a kid when I hear them.

2. The surf. It's so calming whether I use it as my 'white noise' or am actually on the beach. It reminds me of those summer vacations when I was growing up.

3. The birds- their songs and the fluttering of their wings as they splash around in the birdbath. The cardinals remind me of my GrandMoore- my dad's mother.

4. Window fans. I had one in my room when I was a kid because, no AC back in those days. I still have one and it still lulls me to sleep on summer nights. Even though I do have AC now.

5. The afternoon thunderstorms. Tucker would strongly disagree with me on this one but I love them and they spur hundreds of memories. All quite pleasant.

6. Sprinklers. I love the way they sound and it takes me back to the days when I loved running through them and then, later in the day, listening to them as I fell asleep taking those dreaded afternoon naps.

7. The laughing of the gulls at the beach. They crack me up. LOL

8. Ice clinking on the sides of glasses. This takes me back to a time when we kids played freeze tag in the back yard while the adults had drinks in glasses with ice. I remember the clinking of the ice and all the laughter. Such a happy time. Of course, that was probably due to what was in those glasses. But, still...LOL

Sorry, no video. :(

9. The slamming of a screen door. I know it got on our parents' nerves but I go back in my mind to those days every time I hear a screen door slam. It's rare these days. Hard to find a wooden screen door.

Sorry, no video. :(

10. Train whistles. We could hear the train whistle blowing from town when I spent the night with my grandparents in the summer. It was quite soothing.

Ok, let's hear y'alls favorite summer sounds!

Summer Vacations

Vacations are pretty much synonymous with summer. So many people take off to their favorite fun, relaxing spot at some point during the summer months. Not this family. We don't take vacations. I don't think it was that big of a deal when the lovelies were growing up since the beach is a mere 3 miles from our front door. Closer if we draw a straight line from our backyard to the shore. So we pretty much spent every summer day at the beach, the lovelies and I.

When I was growing up, we did take vacations. And I loved them! Our recurring vacation was the annual trip to the beach. This one was the one we took with everyone- grandparents, aunt, parents, kids. We all went and we all had a blast. We stayed in the same house every single summer and we left at 4:00 AM every single year. By the time we arose, the car was packed. All we had to do was get in the car and fall back asleep for the three and a half hour trip to the Myrtle Beach area.

We never stayed in Myrtle Beach- it was just too commercial even at that time. We stayed at Crescent Beach which is now considered North Myrtle Beach. In all the years we went on this trip, we always stayed in the same house. It was a huge house right across the street from the ocean. It was a two-story monster with a row of wooden slat enclosed showers lining the back separated from the house by a wooden slat walkway. We always stayed upstairs as it was big enough for our family. The downstairs was divided into two, smaller apartments. We only stayed in one of those one year and it was the last year we went. Most of us were up in age and couldn't make the trip.

We spent every day of our week at the beach, at the beach. We awoke to a fully prepared breakfast- eggs, grits, bacon, homemade biscuits and sometimes pancakes and then headed off across the street to the ocean. After waiting the traditional hour following eating breakfast, of course. We would come back across the street, rise off in the outdoor showers and back up the stairs for lunch- usually sandwiches and chips- and then head back to the beach. Again, waiting that hour after eating to enter the water. We built massive sandcastles and had fun riding the waves on those canvas floats with the nylon ropes around the edges. Remember those? And wearing the t-shirts due to the sunburn from the day before?

Nights were spent eating a big family dinner and playing games into the night. There was not a television or radio to be had. No cell phones back then either. Just a fun, family filled week without the stress of everyday life and technology that was created under the guise of making our lives better. What in the world was better than spending time together like this?

To this day I cannot smell Noxzema without thinking of Grandmother. She smothered us in that stuff every night as it took the burn out of our sunburns. It really did help and the smell does hold memories for me.

 One night of our beach vacation was always reserved for going to the Pavilion riding rides and another was reserved for standing in those mile long lines at one of the hundreds of Calabash seafood houses. The food was so worth the wait. I still remember my Granddaddy always sat at the head of the table and, if you sat next to him, he would reach over with his fork and take a bite of your food. I loved it and never could figure out why no one else wanted to sit beside him. No matter where we were, if it was a seafood place, Granddaddy always had fried catfish. And Grandmother always started off with shrimp cocktail. I was a perch or flounder girl.

We never left the beach at 4:00 in the morning. We always left in the afternoon. We were always just a little sad to leave but we knew there would always be next year.

Until there wasn't because we all grew up and out grew family vacations. Or moved away and the miles led to distance separation. Luckily, we never let the distance in miles lead to distance in our hearts. We always visited and called and wrote letters---actual letters with actual pens and paper. And now, we know that Grandmother and Granddaddy were the best ever at creating memories. Memories that are still cherished today.   

I'm having a nostalgic summer, obviously. Sometimes, you just can't help it.

Share some of your nostalgic summer memories. 

Top Ten Summer Smells

Since this is a summer of nostalgia for me, I thought I'd include my favorite summer senses.

Here is the summer smell list:

1. Suntan lotion. I love the smell of suntan lotion. It's so calming to me.

2. Pina coladas. These cover smell and taste!

3. Our neighbor's grill. I don't know what he uses but when this man grills, it's HEAVENLY! What's your secret, Joe? Tell!

4. Noxzema. While I don't use this product, I have been known to buy a small jar just for the memories its odor evokes.

5. Impending rain. It smells so fresh and clean in the summer. 

6. Freshly mowed grass. Even though it makes me sneeze and my eyes water, I still appreciate the freshness of it's smell.

7. The sea air. We're only three miles from the beach and the smell of the ocean air has gotten in my blood. I can't imagine not having that smell every single day.

8. Wisteria. The smell is just right. Not overpowering and not too sweet. AND, a little bit of it doesn't make my allergies go nuts.

9. Honeysuckle! LOVE that smell! We had some in our backyard when I was a kid and I loved picking the blossoms and sucking out the sweet nectar.

10. Pools. Yep, I love the smell of a pool. Even though it makes my eyes water. LOL It reminds me of summer and the fun we kids had at the neighborhood pool every summer.

What smells are on your summer smell list?

Stayed tuned for my favorite summer tastes, sounds, sights and sensations!

Summertime In My Mind

Life is slow this summer. Slow and lazy. I'm not getting anything accomplished and, so far, it only bothers me in my head. I keep thinking it's going to bother wherever it's supposed to in order to spur motivation, but not yet.

I'm still working on learning how to practice mindful meditation. It would be great if my mind would shut up for more than a second. And, the few times that it does stop, something outside stirs up memories of summer days of my childhood and then I'm off on a trip down memory lane.

During the summer, a trip down memory lane takes me to long, lazy, fun days spent outside playing with my cousins and some neighborhood kids. Whether we were just running around like wild, crazy things or putting on plays in the garage of someone down the street or laughing at the teen age girls being silly over boys, we had fun. I don't recall us noticing the summer time heat. But that was because we were so busy enjoying every second of every day.

My favorite thing to do at lunch was eat at my cousins' house. There were four of them and, until I was 12, only one of me so, going to their house was pretty awesome. But lunchtimes over there were there best because they had KOOL AID! WHAT?! It was so great! (Of course, that was before we were told that white sugar is bad for us. And before we ingested so much white sugar in our daily diets that it led to the discover of its killer ability).

I spent quality time with my grandparents learning how to bake, peel apples without breaking the peel so that it spiraled down until there was none left to cut off, put salt on a slice of water melon and spit seeds, take afternoon naps on the porch... To appreciate time- taking time to do things right, to see things, to understand, to teach, to learn, to make real, personal connections and to just be.

We didn't have air conditioning way back then- you know, in the old days. So I had a window fan in my upstairs bedroom window. I have one in my room now too. Not because I don't have air conditioning, because I do. But because the sound still lulls me to sleep and often takes me back to that wonderful bedroom in the house my dad grew up in.

My dad's mother, GrandMoore, was the librarian in the town where I grew up. There were many days spent at the library with her. Sometimes I got to help make bulletin boards and shelve books but, mostly, I spent hours lost in book upon book upon book! How I loved to read! Something I still enjoy today.

That's the house of my childhood and of my dad's childhood. See the part that juts out on the right side? When my dad was growing up, that was his dad's dentist office. When I was growing up there, it had been converted into a two bedroom apartment with a bathroom, living room and kitchen for GrandMoore. 

It seemed that an afternoon thunderstorm paid us a visit every single day during the summer. They only lasted about thirty minutes but they were amazing! With no air conditioning, all the windows were left open. I knew a storm was coming when the sheers in my parent's bedroom window would begin to flow, slowly into the room. As the storm got closer and the winds built in intensity, the sheers would billow into the room and I loved lying on their bed beside the windows watching those sheers billow up and over my head and back down again. The feel and smell of the air became cooler and thunder rumbled in the distance. And you could smell the rain long before it began to fall.

As the sun went down and darkness begin to change the shape of daytime objects into curiosities and scary things that made you close your eyes and peek through slit eyelids just to make sure it was ok, we chased lightening bugs. We put them in jars with holes poked in the lids so they wouldn't die. I always let mine go quickly though. I didn't want to be responsible for killing something that brought so much simplistic joy to our lives.

And isn't that where joy lies? In the simple things? Perhaps that's why, when the cicadas begin serenading me on these summer evenings and the sea breeze blows a hint of the last remaining coolness across my skin, that my mind wanders back to that simple time of pure joy that I mindfully visit with fondness, and a tear of nostalgia, because they seem to have passed so very quickly, those times and the simplicity of summer.

Are y'all enjoying a lazy summer?