Reasons I LOVE summer

I am absolutely soaking up the summer here, and can't even begin to count the reasons I love summer but here are my top ten:

• Peas. (Or pretty much anything homegrown.) I'm pretty sure if you've tried them, I need not say more. But for those of you who have not been so blessed, I"ll attempt to explain. Up until I was probably in junior high, I don't think I'd eaten frozen peas. There was just no reason to even try. My mom loves gardening and always grew peas. In fact, I think she used picking peas as a reward for behaving or doing our jobs. I've been out most days picking peas and I usually have them gone in an hour or so-I try to savor them. Is there anything better than homegrown peas in the pod? I submit that there is not.

• Biking. We've been working on that triathlon and thus have been biking a lot. Although it's not the same as biking the coastal trail and not near as pretty, I love getting out there and getting quick-moving exercise.


• Green Grass. I love soft green grass and let's face it, in Alaska, most of the grass is green but not so soft. I'm pretty sure the most important thing to my mom in the summer is her yard, more specifically, her grass so it's pretty soft here. Although, being in a drought, we are struggling to keep it green but we're doing our best.


• Summer Rain. You can smell it coming and there's nothing like it.


• Lightning Storms. I made Nate come outside with me at midnight a few weeks ago to watch several lightning storms going on at the same time. My favorite is sitting under the big trees, protected from the wind and rain and watching the lightning off in the hills. (We did have a small fire from lightning just down the road the other day though, it shook the house when it hit and shocked my dad who was outside-Scary.)


• The Smell of Grass. If you know me well, you probably know that's my favorite smell and I'm trying to take advantage of it. When my mom and I were deciding what chores I would take care of around the house, I begged for mowing!


• Summer nights. I love sitting outside in the evening, not needing a coat, and looking at the clear sky. There are so many stars out at night down here and it just can't be beat. Hopefully before the summer is over, I can talk Nate into sleeping outside under the stars with me.


• The Sound of Sprinklers. I grew up hauling pipe and all though it's not my favorite activity, I appreciate what it means. We work the land here and I have such great respect for those who do. The sound of sprinklers reminds me of working the land and of my childhood.


• Horse rides. My dad will pretty much ride anytime of the year but I'm more partial to summer rides. It's so amazing to be up exploring the mountains on horseback and spending time with my family. Oh, and the sunsets on the mountain are breathtaking.

• Sun. Duh. There's just nothing like lying in the sun with your eyes closed, just soaking it in.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go eat lunch. Do you think it's possible to OD on peas?