Thursday, August 27, 2009

Enough Summer Already

I don't really like summer. I just tolerate it with forbearance and keep up my hope for the cooler days I know will follow soon. I have no choice. Technically, Summer ends in late September, but who's counting the months any more. I just want summer to be done.

As I listen to the sound of crickets faithfully clicking outside through the open window, I enjoy their soft life-song. There's not much I cherish about the summer season, but invisible crickets chirping steadily, their metronome in sync, is one of the small consolations to the heat.

Their short little lives are always lived out in the hot, dry grasses and brown dusty dirt of the horse pasture and the land out back of our house. For them summer is everything. It is their destiny and eternity all wrapped up into a few short months. Contentment with heat, feasting upon what ever crickets eat, stiffened grass blades, persistent weeds, and laying eggs to hatch next year when the weather turns just right. That is life to a cricket. That and having their legs ripped of by experimental boys.

The songs of summer.

Then the sound of my orange-vanilla cream cat, Jimmy-cat, meowing cat, spiral-swirling patterned cat, eating a fat gopher on the porch always creeps me out. I call out, "Good boy Jimmy," when he meows loudly upon his arrival to the screen door; he likes to shows off his bounty for the evening. I get up and walk to see him. He has the trophy in his mouth still and meows again through the taste of fur. He places the gopher on the stoop; indeed, it's about the size of his head. Then it appears my acknowledgment of his kill is permission to begin dining. I move back to my hard bench seat and continue to type, tuning out the sound of miniature bones breaking as he eats his rodent prize.

The wooden seat beneath my bones numbs me, but does not remove the heat from the air.

Lime pop-sickles are a saving grace and cold comfort to the night, which is just too hot. When will the cool come? When crickets no longer chirp. The sound of silence in the darkened night beckons the new season. It's not here yet...

Earlier in the day, I spitefully opened the door to the full day's heat, walking out back to feed my horses. I long for winter, rain, misty air floating with fairy-like drizzle, cool water drip-dropping on my face in asymmetrical rhythms. I long to see the random flowing of water droplets across my window, dancing their way down the pane where they collect on the sill and then fall again to earth, proving gravity still works.

The dust kicked up by the milling equines reminds me they live in it. Exposed, engulfed, encapsulated by the element of heat and the pressing sun. The suns rays bore into my skin like a tick burrowing for blood. Shade, where is the shade? I sweat. I melt. The horses persevere. They were built for heat and cold. They don't seem to mind. They have trees to stand beneath. The shade is theirs, but they will still opt to roast in the sun.

A random helicopter and the sound of passing cars cut through the night air, the tell-tale signs of other lives, other people, other paths moving through the heat. A motorcycle rips across the valley, it's engine screaming happily; I can hear it moving south along our country road, the noise lingers, the sound fades incrementally, and then is gone.

Loud, demanding meows from the Oreo cookie cat, cookies and cream cat, black and white monster cat, Shmobie-cat brings me out from my absent minded reveries. I am the automatic door opener. He still has not figured out how to come through the broken screen door, the most recent casualty of my kids destruction. I let him in, swinging open the cheap metal door who's screen mesh floats away from the frame oh so effortlessly.

I await the coolness that should have been here by now. I want the draft from my window to float across the room bringing all its refreshing goodness with it. It is not here. I am still waiting.

20 comments:

The Silver Age Sara said...

I had to venture over and see what my favorite Mom and children are doing. Summer left yesterday with our first freeze last night. Hurray! Now I can start complaining about winter :-)

Leigh said...

We had a "cold front" come through last night here in TX. Now, it's only going to be 92 today instead of 102. Lovely.

Olde Dame Penniwig said...

Oooo, you can write, Julia. And it's not just that you write well in a technical way; your THOUGHTS are very deep, very deep indeed. I always feel like I've been through the wringer when you get in one of your writing moods: Up, down, something funny, something sad, something too big to understand, some tiny detail that means something giant touched upon, up, down - round and round go your thoughts, and I have to trot to keep up...

Suzi said...

I so want cooler mornings. It stinks to cut my run short due to the heat. I love summer, but not when I have to exert myself in the hot, hot weather.

Julia said...

I am ready to start doing some rain dances. Seriously. I am sure the kids would like that.

karenscarvie said...

Julia, how I exalt in that wonderful writing voice of yours! Like a graceful ballet your word magic slides through your fingers into my world bringing one meaning-filled mind-picture after another. Bravo!

brokenteepee said...

I love the new avatar. Too cute for words...

I looooove summer. The heat, the blue skies, the sun. Everything - well except the unending work of the garden. Our summer is so short and soon I will be wearing layers of clothing staring at endless grey skies.

Of course we don't have any humidity here. Coming from coastal NJ I know all about the humidity that causes breathing to be a monumental effort. Here people complain at 40% humidity and I laugh...somewhat hysterically.

Liz Mays said...

I'm waiting too! I absolutely love the fall and those chilly mornings and evenings.

YTSL said...

Hear, hear re enough summer already. We've just had news that this August has been the hottest in decades here in Hong Kong. We're talking days in a row of over 33 degrees Celsius days... :S

Julia said...

Oh 90 degrees every day sounds good about now. I am tired of the 100 and over!

Rural Rambler said...

Beautiful and fun Julia. I was really gettin into it and then you stopped, I am ready for Chapter 2!

Anonymous said...

Your summer sounds wonderful!

Ryan Ashley Scott said...

Julia, this is a beautiful post. I remember loving summer as a kid, but now even the thought of autumn makes me giddy. Jeans, bonfires, festivals and apple orchards. I'm waiting, but it's cooler here. Hope your numb bottom doesn't melt completely off.

Unknown said...

I love how you write! We had a beautiful (unseasonably cool) 65 degree day here in the Midwest. I long for summer to be over, but when the summer days are like today it could also last forever!

down pillow said...

I love the fall! Cool crisp night, bon fires and cozy sweaters are what I am longing for...

Erin Bassett said...

I'm in So Cal & dreaming of when I can put on a cozy sweater & listen to the rain! Seems so far off right now.

Stopping by from SITS.

LifeRamblings said...

i usually plan my travel dates during the spring or autumn seasons. summer is my least favourite.

theUngourmet said...

So, let me get this straight, you're hot, you can't wait for rain and you're cats all think you are the doorman (woman) of their mansion! Got it! I'll try and do a little rain dance for ya today! ;0)

Frogs in my formula said...

You know what? I've been in a great mood the last few days and it hit me: I don't really like summer either. Fall is cool and slower paced and I can finally wear long sleeved shirts over my horrendous upper arms (I hate them--they're stocky).

Great post. Though your Oreo cookie cat reference made me want a cookie!

Aunt Spicy said...

ditto all you said. not a fan of summer, especially once you toss in humidity.

The Day the Swallows Came Home

The tree swallows are here already.  They arrived January 30 much to my dismay.  Swooping and calling and chirping their merry song over my ...