Summer Feels

This past week has been beautiful in Southwestern Pennsylvania. I find that as I get older, I feel the changes of the seasons a bit more deeply. I don't mean feel like my arthritic big toe can predict rain. I mean, I feel more attuned to the changing seasons. It feels like we are on summer's cusp, and I love it. Generally, I am not a summer-loving kind of person. If I could live in a world of Octobers, I would be in my personal heaven. However, moving into summer this spring feels like pure happiness. I love hearing the birds sing at dawn, the frogs chirp at night, the way the grass turns emerald, and the new growth of flora changes daily. It is a beautiful time of year, and I am appreciating it more so than I have in the past.

It not only feels and looks like summer on our farm, but it smells like summer in the studio. Summer is usually when I create fruity, fresh scents for our products. Last week, we created honeyed strawberry, blueberry verbena, and lemon verbena. Right now, the studio smells like a fruit basket and is delightful. The farm is also filled with lovely scents this time of year. The Autumn Olive is in bloom, and it smells divine. I wish I could bottle the scent of the wild Autumn Olive blowing across the fields on a warm spring day. This, dear reader, is one of my favorite scents in the world.

The Bean is counting down the days until the end of school. She tells me there are eight and a half days left of her sophomore year. Time is moving far too quickly. I need to find a way to slow it down so her childhood doesn't escape me. As a cruel reminder that my days with my girl at home are limited, we are touring our first college tomorrow. Sigh. I am excited but also a bit sad. I hope tomorrow is not an emotional day for me, where I must fight back tears constantly. These moods are striking me more frequently, and it makes everyone uncomfortable. Being an emotionally open book has its drawbacks.

In just a few weeks, the unofficial start to summer will begin, the days will be long, the temperatures warm, the fireflies will be out, the baby goats will lose their interest in us, my baby chicks will feather, and my favorite human will be home for the summer. I fully intend to enjoy this summer with its warm temperatures, slow pace, beautiful scents, and all the summer feels. It's a good time to be alive.

I hope you, too, are feeling all the summer vibes. On this gorgeous day, stay safe, be smart, enjoy the changing of the seasons, get ready for summer, and keep washing your hands.