Scrolling Summer Scenes

by Auntie Cathie
(Chicago IL USA)

Summer in a Midwestern city means weeks that are hot and humid. Workers and vacationers alike repeat the mantra, “It's not the heat its the humidity” while they stick to their desk, or shake sweaty hands. So lets shake that stifling heat by imagining summers in other times and places.

The summers long ago, for children in the Kansas wheat farms, afternoons meant they could go to the ice house where the family had piled ice from the river all winter. They would sit among the provisions to read and talk until supper time. Even with the wheat harvest over for the summer there was farm work for adults, cattle to be watered and other crops to be tended. Yet these childhood stories remain a favorite.

Summer in igloo land would know sunlight all day long and all night too. While the weather is not so brutally cold, folks will spend more time together getting ready for the frigid winter ahead. How many times have you wished for that extra hour of brightness to greet you after work, or make it safe to run one more errand?

Summers on the Mediterranean are found in so many novels. Would your colorful cabana be large enough to entertain, or would it be a sacred refuge for inner renewal? Think back to all the beaches you have enjoyed even closer to home? There are beaches on rivers and small lakes, while the people of coastal lands say ocean water is unbeatable for swimming since it is so supportive.

In the northern woods of Wisconsin those who can afford summer homes, welcome city guests to enjoy the shady breezy summer weather with them. The carefree time of vacation often coincides with summer. Whether you go on holiday alone or set out as a family or a club, there are many events scheduled for locals and tourist to enjoy.

Whether you vacation on not this summer, use your imagination to see your carefree self cavorting in on other terrains and let the winter's work slide out mind for an hour or so. Dreams of summer far or near can bring peace and contentment to your soul here and now.