The Complete Works of Goldsmith: You know that stupid song about the summer??

The one that goes "Summertime....and the living is easy....??" What the heck is the deal with that?? There is absolutely NOTHING easy about living in the summertime; it is a constant hassle. WINTER is when living is truly easy....winter, for many reasons, is the best (and easiest 'living') season.

Summertime requires so much work outside--now, dont get me wrong, because I love working outside--but it still is a TON of work. The lawn needs to be mowed. The wood needs to be split and stacked. The gardens need to be watered and weeded and fertilized and pruned and thinned. Canning and preserving needs to be done with all the tomatoes and cucumbers (for pickles). The heat is sweltering and it is a constant battle to stay cool--move inside to the AC...move under the shade of a tree....move to Siberia...etc. The CHOICES available lead to sensory overload: Will we go to the beach? Will we go out on the canoe? Will we go to the lake? Will we take a hike? Will we conjure up spirits in the graveyard at 6: 46? And this myriad of choices lead to schedule conflicts. And dont get me started on schedule conflicts....swimming lessons and tee ball practice and soccer practice and playdates with friends....taxi service deluxe...lots of driving around and lots of work. There is so much PACKING and UNPACKING involved in the summer--picnics and cookouts and beachdays and camping trips all require a lot of STUFF because you will be outside for a long time and NEED stuff: Did we pack the sunblock? The bugspray? Paper towels? Bathing suits? Towels? Chairs? Games for the kids? Books?? AND THE KIDS....dont even get me started with the kids....they are in and out like a fiddler's elbow....outside to ride bikes for ten minutes....now they are bored...they come inside and play legos....now they want to go ride bikes again...then they need to have a snack inside....now they wanna go on the deck and build a hotwheel track....So much more laundry is generated in the summer because everything gets wet with a) sweat b)chlorinated water c) mud d) more sweat...laundry is so much work!!!

SO WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH THE SONG????

Why can't people see the light about winter and give it the attention and love it deserves?? It is the EASY season. There is no work. You sit in a chair by the wood stove and read books and play cribbage and eat food. Even the food you cook is easier...there is none of this chopping and dicing to make your fancy little wannabee salads...in the winter you take a hunk of some type of meat and then some whole potatoes and some can of cream based soup and you throw it in a crock pot and go to work and then come home and dinner is done for you. That is all. You enjoy the fruits of your labor in the winter. It is easy. Living is simple, because you have no choice--because most people are too afraid/lazy to go outside and do anything or go anywhere. Winter rules. Summer sucks.

But it is great to have wonderful friends to help you get through the misery known as summer (hahahahaha)......

Tom and Katie and the kids came over for dinner last weekend, and it was a blast getting together and eating good food and having great conversation.....

Katie and Tom and Sally enjoying some corn on the cob (which was great and sweet) and some smoked chicken and sausage I made on the BBQ. #tastethemeatnottheheat. We enjoyed some lettuce and tomato we grew in our salad (now, this sentence sounds like we grew the lettuce and tomato IN our salad...as opposed to a garden...but I dont care to change it cuz I hate summer...)

Callum and Maira love Jake and Meg more than they love me or Amanda....and that is cool I guess.....
haha....but seriously, I cannot think of two people Callum and Maira get more excited to see than Jake and Meg....

Hanging out by the deck......

Katie and Amanda sitting by the fire (and some of the firewood.....and the compost bin.....haha) sharing some laughs and some wine; Amanda, I think, is conspiring with Katie to get me to take her to CapeCod) Did you notice the ambiguous HER?? Am I talking about Katie or Amanda?? Grammar is great!!)