Growing up in the far northern climes of Vermont, summer could be summed up in one word, which, oddly enough, is the same word attributed to its winters, only for different reasons.
L O N G E R
There is only one question to ask when living with and through a northern winter…”When will it end???”
No one I’ve ever known would dare ask that same question from the 4th of July through Labor Day, which in the best of years, is a Long Vermont summer.
A better question for summer is “When will it begin????”
But the Longer that lives in the northern summertime, isn’t for how many months, or weeks, or days, it lasts…it is for those Longer days, Longer bike rides, and Longer games in one backyard or another. Longer moments of peace among the winter weary, battle fatigued, cohabitants that are brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers. Longer trips looking for warmer weather, with Longer hellos, and even Longer goodbyes.
Summer is a Long way from Long in the north.
At the same time, there is also only one question I know to ask as a northerner living with and through, a southern summer… “When will it end???”
My slow melt begins in April, with signs of ripples in May. Then I start to bubble in June, and by July, I’m roiling out of the proverbial ‘melted pot’. By August, when coincidentally enough, the homicide rate begins to increase, I’m ready, willing, and able to add to the statistic of “Heat induced insanity killings”
It’s only the 9th of July here in Virginia and I’m ready for it to end. I’m Longing for cool days and cold nights. I want to put on a hoodie and go out by the campfire, watch the lightning bugs, and gaze at the stars in the crystal clear, cold cleansed sky.
I’m tired of the inside of my house. I’m heart-sick at the number of times I say no to ‘Grammy, can we go out so I can run through the sprinklers?” because that would mean I’d have to go O U T there to supervise.
I’m disgusted that the longest walk I take all day is from the front door to the mailbox and even then, if I knew someone else I could ask to do it for me, I’d PAY them to do it!
I am glared at by my four legged pal who wants nothing more than to run around the yard, chasing something…anything…as long as she can runl. NO, No, and no, because that means I’d have to go O U T there and participate! Ugh
I Long for shorter days.
I Long for cloudy or rainy days.
I Long for someone to pick up on the fact that I wear a “Let It Snow” night shirt EVERY night hoping it’ll happen.
If you haven’t noticed…I hate the heat. But even if I didn’t…I’d hate T H I S heat!
When. Will. It. End?
50 Shades of Gray Hair 
Hello my friend, loving the new header pic x
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Thanks Tink…it’s an old church not far from here…haunts me
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Sorry Sweetie, living in humid Richmond, VA means you’ve got a long way to go! My best suggestion would be to get a swimming pool! Or you could come to the Shenandoah Valley for a visit? But then, we’re headed for VT!
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haha….I had a pool in the north for all the good it did me! And you and Sid have a good trip to VT…looks like you had fun at the Green Monster (yay). Give everyone our best at the reunion…sad to be missing it. Love to you all
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That’s the price ya pay for livin in the Sooouuth or rather south. I don’t know just how hot it gets in Virginia but in Texas it gets real dang hot as in 100 degree temp for days on end with no break. But this year I think we’re getting a break. I don’t think we’ve had a 100 degree day yet. Very strange. 🙂
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We’re getting what you’re not my friend…104 today but the humidity is what really kills me! Uggggggggggh
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Yes, humidity is very bad Be careful when outdoors
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I try not to go outdoors to be honest…but thanks, good advice for all that live with this heat. Stay Cool Yvonne
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Feel for you – we’re having it terrible hot too but without the humidity.
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I could almost say lucky you…but sometimes, heat is heat and hot is hot. I just wish the humidity would break. How do tropical people do it? Stay frosty my furry friends…xo
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I understand EXACTLY how you feel. I grew up in Vermont & have been trapped by my own mistakes, here in Alabama. I miss Vermont most in the summers. I go a little nuts here in the summer. Reverse cabin fever…a/c fever? I hate opening the backdoor to put the dogs out & be covered in my own sweat for doing nothing other then standing there. I want my summers back. Cool breezes, bare feet on cold grass, sailing on Lake Champlain…
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Exactly!! And I think a/c fever is perfect…I get to where I CRAVE fresh air, only to be slapped silly when I open the door. I was speaking with my brother in Oklahoma recently and he said the Vermont summer and fall made the winters worth it. lol…not sure I’d go quite that far, but I’ll miss the anticipation of those cool days and cold nights and the most beautiful night skies ever. Here’s to getting your summers back…Vermont isn’t going anywhere…she’ll be there when you’re able.
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I, too, loathe the heat!
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Right…and there you are living in Australia! lol
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Have you watched my vlog this week maybe it will cool you down listening to the rain lol
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I haven’t yet, have had the grandson here for the week…but I’ll catch up. We did have a line of pretty terrific thunderstorm go through yesterday and last night…but the result was, this morning, I can’t see out of a single window because they are all fogged up. Muggy? You betcha!! How’s the knee???
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still sore but swelling has gone down now couple more days taking it easy and I will be fine, am a tough old bird ya know lol
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😉 they DO say old birds are tough…lol
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Darling….go out and play in that sprinkler. It’ll cool ya off and make you happy. 🙂
p.s. before my knee went bum….I jogged many mornings. My favorite thing to do was find yards with sprinklers along the way to run through. It’s a wonder I wasn’t arrested! ahhhhh
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hahaha….I’d be arrested alright…but NOT for running in people’s sprinklers!
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Hahaha. …you crack me up! Reason #2345 that I love you.
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I have to say that I love the heat. I like it when my hair feels warm, and how great it is to just be outside and find shade. I love the pool and the fact that I can be there until late in the evening. I love sitting outside and writing. God how I love sitting outside and writing, SB. I think the last two brutal winters have permanently erased my ability to long for cooler days.
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I admit to remembering having those same feelings about the heat when I was living in the north where 85% of the time, heat descended without the blanket of humidity. But living in the south, where the air all but drowns anyone daring to breathe it, I’ve lost those feelings entirely. The only places in the south where I feel summer is worth a damn is at the ocean, and times there are few and far between at the moment…but the instant I can remedy that, I intend to!
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I’ve been down to New Orleans in mid-summer. Still remember walking out the plane for the first time, it was stifling. Felt like I was going to drown. I hear you, SB. I’m going to try and squeeze every drop of summer I can out of this for now.
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That’s the northern way 🙂
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