I absolutely love living in a state that has four true seasons. I love every single season and for all different reasons.
Summer is a great season to warm your body, soak up some much needed Vitamin D from the sun and just chill out by a pool or splash pad. Where we live, summer gets quite hot. Doing yard work and then jumping completely clothed into the pool is an amazing feeling. Getting sweaty on your way to church or a shop is not as enjoyable so air conditioning is a must for those moments when you need to be away from home and need that break from the heat.
I’ve realized this summer, camping during the hot months is DEFINITELY not for me! We went camping in June and it was a bit uncomfortable to be sweating and trying to fall asleep. The temperatures did drop at night so it wasn’t completely miserable. Our July camping trip was another story. It was a 100°F during the day and the nights didn’t get below 85°. That is just way too hot to get comfortable. There was no cooling down and I decided that just wasn’t my cup of tea.
After a hot summer, the perfect fix is a nice, gentle fall. Warm days where you can still get a dip in the pool or splash pad during the day but there is a gentle chill in the air in the evenings are my favorite. I don’t mind going from shorts to a sweatshirt in one day. Clearing up fallen tree limbs from a summer storm that have been piling up by throwing them in the fire pit and having a good s’mores cookout is relaxing. After a summer of flip flops, pulling out the boots is such a joy for me.
Trees changing colors from their bright green to red, orange and yellow is so amazing. It makes my heart skip a beat to see. I don’t like all the leaves falling in the pool because the days are still warm enough to swim but the nights get breezy and leaves fill my pump skimmer. We just took a drive to Minnesota early October and their trees have such beautiful colors to them. It was so joyful for me to drive the long highways and see nothing but red, orange, yellow and green speckled trees. Just rows and rows of them.
The nights get more and more chilly and then the days even start to have a slight chill to them. Some nights may have a small snowfall that is gone in a few hours. Enough snow to get you just a small bit excited about the onset of winter. Invitations to friend’s bonfires, outdoor movies under the stars with fleece blankets and a hot cup of cocoa absolutely thrill me. Taking an evening stroll with a hoodie and some comfortable boots down our town’s cobblestone streets, window shopping the little stores along the way. Going to the pumpkin glow in town and dressing up for Halloween are fun for my kids. Getting the family together for Thanksgiving and watching the annual parade on the TV as we eat a slice of pumpkin pie. Maybe even a gentle snowfall in the evening, waking up to a gentle dusting on the ground as we get up early to do a little Black Friday shopping.
Days get colder and nights get even more so. The threat of larger snowfalls looming. Waking up to several inches of snow, seeing the excitement on my kid’s faces to see all the white on the ground, grabbing their snow gear and heading out the door for a morning sled adventure. Mom watching from the dining room window with her cup of coffee in hand. The kids come back in the house, ready to warm up with a hot cup of cocoa with a handful of marshmallows.
Being from Minnesota, you know cold and appreciate a good fireplace or warming up near a heater. For those down right nippy cold days, a source of heat is very important. It is too cold to have s’mores in the fire pit so you light up the gas stove and roast your marshmallows indoors as you look out the window at the fresh snow falling yet again. Do you feel it yet?
After a month or two of bitter cold getting a sneaky warm day in the mix is wonderful. You have had enough cold to kill off some of the nasty bugs and the warmer days are now welcoming. You wake up on a brisk morning, throw on a sweatshirt, brew a cup of coffee, grab your favorite book or Bible and sit on the porch enjoying the sunny morning. The days are getting warmer again so by noon your sweatshirt is traded for shorts and you take the kids to the park to play for the day. They enjoy the sun and could stay and play for hours if you would let them.
Can you feel the change in seasons? Do you love getting to the end of a season and feeling so ready for the next one? Each one ushering in a new adventure, a new day, a new beginning. The warmth of summer, the chill of fall, the cold of winter and the energy of spring. I love it all. I love them each separately and long for each and every one of them.
What is your favorite season? Do you have one or do you just love them all like I do? I would love to hear your view of it in the comments below!