In the nick of time

Okay, all is forgiven. For the first time this year I sat outside after work just a short while ago, with my feet propped up and a beverage in my hand, enjoying the warmth of the sun on my face. I feel as though I can breathe easy again, knowing summer is coming after all and everything will be all right.
Isn’t it funny how we never seem to see the end of winter come fast enough? And then, of course, once the hot weather hits we groan about how incredibly hot it is. I have heard it said that one of the reasons Canadians make great comedians is because of our extreme climate. (You have to admit, with names like Michael J. Fox, Jim Carrey, Dan Akroyd and Howie Mandel the list is impressive. And that doesn’t even count Red Green – whose real name is Steve Smith.) We come from a nation where people will spend their first camping trip in winter garb just to say they made the annual May long weekend trek, and where in years like this one even planting the garden on that same famous weekend could be treacherous in some parts due to frost and wind.
But here we are with the solstice in sight and all those frostbitten memories behind us. We are now happy to complain about the plethora of dandelions and the sudden heat rash we suffered from the first day out mowing or gardening. Beverage coolers are dusted off, kiddie pools are seen dotting lawns again, and suddenly the sale of potato chips plummets and fresh veggies are popular as we all try to get back to bathing-suit-friendly shape. It is not just the better temperatures, either, that make for warmer memories from summers past. There seems to be some Midsummer fairy magic that makes those times seem some of the best…

I remember the joy of finding the perfect dandelion seed pod. My Mom even figured out that larger pods could be preserved whole if you got them carefully inside and sprayed them with a bit of hair spray. How cheered I was to hear this is still special: one of my Guide leader friends told me that her little son likes to blow the seeds willy-nilly to the wind and then hand her the stem as a gift. I also discovered that despite technology they still thwart the average lawn aficionado – our neighbour was seen last Sunday with the vacuum cleaner under his arm and hose in hand as he tackled each stem!
I know this will sound corny, but I love the taste of water from the garden hose. It seems just slightly poetic that we have come around to a time when this might be acceptable again, what with the processing and cost of plastic water bottles. Kids might not walk to school (at least not unescorted) but at least when they play in their own yard they can drink the water.
Even just the sound of kids playing is a summer sound, one that continues later at night as that lovely sun lingers on the horizon longer this time of year. I always felt decadent to know that I could stay out for so very long as summer began going home at dark when summer started could allow you time for a whole other adventure from the one you had before dinner!

There are all kinds of wonderful and crazy food at any time of year now, but even today there is more variety in summer here than in winter. And even if you don’t care about local versus imported ingredients, you have to admit the colours are brighter in the produce section. I had the first radishes and lettuce from the garden on Sunday, and I can hardly wait for more goodies. The taste of a garden carrot just rubbed in the grass and eaten fresh out of the ground is one of those experiences even a five star restaurant cannot match.

I don’t know if you reminisce about childhood memories from long ago or if you have kids whom you regale with stories, but if you don’t then I think it is about time you gave it a try. Here are some things you can do here in our part of the world that will give you an old-fashioned taste of summer…

• Visit the farmer’s market for veggies that still have dirt on them.
  
• Take a trip with your sweetie to Enderby to see a drive-in movie at the Starlight (it actually has North America’s largest screen!).
  
• Go for old-fashioned hard ice-cream cones with your kids and sit outside eating them – teach them about how you have to push the top scoop gently down so it doesn’t fall off.
  
• Set up your lawn sprinkler and run through it (this is best done screaming – if the neighbours laugh, invite them over to try it!).
  
• Pick a dandelion gone to seed, make a wish, and blow!

If you have kids, this will help show them the value of making those warm memories. If you don’t have kids, it will remind you we are never too late to have a happy childhood.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.