Oh, Hey, It's Summer!

{photo via my mom}



Today marks the official first day of Summer. And, here in Maine, the weather forecast promises a real summer day. Yahoo!


Unfortunately, I'll be glued to by computer working for much of the day.

But, I still plan to enjoy a bit of summer with my girls before the day is done. We'll eat an early dinner outside before heading to a concert at the town gazebo. And, maybe, just maybe, if all goes well, we'll walk by the new, totally awesome in-town ice cream shop.

Signs of Early Summer in Maine:

• Fields of lupine appear everywhere.
• Sea-side lobster shacks open for business.
• People eat outside all the time. (Wander through our town in the evening and just take a whiff of the awesome grilling smells and listen to the laughter - mostly - of families enjoying a meal outside.)
• Skunks appear. (I am generally a very tolerant person. But, I truly hate skunks. I have major issues with skunks. Just ask my husband or my mother.)
• 1 in 3 (I'm guessing here) cars either has a boat trailed behind or a kayak or canoe pinned to the top.
• There are a lot of people "from away" around. (Many years ago, my mom and dad instituted --- after a summer of houseguests nearly every week of the summer -- a rule that no one could come visit in the summer, unless they also came at some point in the winter.)
• People are busily working on their houses and their yards.
• Strawberries are starting to appear.
• Farmer's markets are humming with excitement.
• Rather than asking a friend or neighbor "how are you?" you ask, "how's the garden coming along?"

What does summer look like in your neck of the woods?