As I mentioned in an earlier post, the Fourth of July always granted my mother the opportunity to pronounce that summer  WAS HALF OVER. Blah.

But since the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, I too am starting to feel the need to reach for a brown paper bag in which to breathe so that I don’t hyperventilate as I consider fall looming ahead. Target did, after all, have their back-to-school items out. I thought it was a good time to consider what I like best about summer.

TOP TEN BEST THINGS ABOUT SUMMER (in no particular order)

I am a big fan of daylight savings time. I love the long days. It makes me happy that when I arise at 5:30 a.m., it is light outside. Even more, I love that at 8:30 or 9 o’clock, the sun is just starting to go down. I can see the length of the days diminishing, and I’m not happy about that.

Fresh fruits and vegetables  provide one of summertime’s greatest delights to me. Obviously there are fresh vegetables all year long, but I love the artichokes when they’re in season and the corn-on-the-cob coming to you fresh from the farmers’ fields. I love the big baskets of blueberries and strawberries at a cost that doesn’t make you scream and with an actual, well, flavor. I make cucumber salads and serve platters of fresh tomatoes sprinkled with salt and strips of basil, swimming in olive oil. Vegetables doused in flavored oil and grilled send me straight to heaven.

Another thing that sends me straight to heaven when it comes to fresh fruits and vegetables is canning. I love to “put up” the wonderful peaches that will come to me late this summer and the pickling cucumbers that should be showing up soon. I noticed from a Facebook picture that my daughter-in-law Lauren made what looks like strawberry jam. I’m hoping some gets into her suitcase to bring to Denver in a few weeks.

Summertime brings the obvious added benefit of having more time to hang out with my grandkids. Not only do I get to spend time with the ones who live near me, summer almost always brings a visit from – or to – the grandkids in Vermont. We are eagerly awaiting an upcoming August visit from our Vermont family. In the meantime, I enjoy watching the kids play in my backyard, taking them to the parks, setting out my big splash pool or turning on the sprinklers and letting them run around until their hearts are glad. So is mine.

I love to hike, and of course that doesn’t have to be limited to summertime. But I’m not a cold-weather hiker, so I like to either enjoy the mountains in the summer or the desert in the winter. We had many a happy Estes Park, Colorado, family vacation when I was growing up and Rocky Mountain National Park is still one of my favorite places to enjoy nature. I don’t get up often, but I love it when I do.

I love the flowers that bloom all summer long here in Denver. I enjoy all of the flowers in the neighborhood as I take my morning or evening walks. Every year I plant colorful petunias in my flower bed at the edge of my patio, and I am embarrassingly happy to sit there in the evening and enjoy them. Sometime mid-August, they start getting pretty leggy and less pretty, so I enjoy them while I have them.

And speaking of sitting out on my patio, I do enjoy sipping gin and tonics in the evening. Now there is absolutely nothing to forbid me from drinking gin and tonics all year round. But for some reason, nothing tastes better than the intermingling bitter flavors of the gin and the tonic when they are icy cold and you are done for the day. That’s when I can enjoy my flowers.

As well as my bird feeders. Another summer delight is that I put out one bird feeder that attracts small birds, mostly house finches. They mostly don’t mind coming to dine while we sit out and enjoy the end of the day. I must say I enjoy my birds at both houses – Denver and Arizona. I will enjoy them here until late August, when the mice start coming to enjoy the spillage in preparation for winter. Then the feeder might need to be put away.

Several years ago, we redid our patio so that it runs along the entire width of our back yard. Under the honey locust tree we have a table and chairs where I love dining al fresco during the summer months. This season has featured a lot of afternoon thunderstorms, but we still have managed some outdoor dining.

My circadian rhythm is such that I am happier and healthier when I am subject to a lot of sunshine. I mentioned the longer days earlier in this post, but in addition to the longer days, I love the extended period of sunshine and the warm weather. My body depends on it. My doctor has told me before that she can see the physical difference in me in the summer from the winter.

The good news is that, despite my mother’s dire warnings, there are still many days left in summer. We have some fun activities ahead (though a looming jury duty summons could possibly put a dent in those plans; I’ll know very soon) that will put the star on my summer.

And what’s more, I have to admit that Colorado does have some pretty autumns!