The dog days of summer

I love summer and look forward to it all year. Life is easier in the summer. Getting dressed is a snap; I throw on a sundress and twist my long, thick hair into a bun. I grab a pair of sandals or flip-flops, and I am off. 

For work, it’s athletic shorts and a tank top with crocks. It’s so nice not having to bundle up, putting on boots and a winter coat to go 38 steps to the production kitchen. 

Let’s talk about not having to worry about falling on your ass or scraping ice from the windshield while warming up your vehicle. I need my arms and legs not broken, so this is a major plus. 

Otto and Klaus are like us; they love the warm weather. They stare longingly out the windows like we do during the winter and hate to go out to take care of their business. They dislike the below zero days; it makes their paws hurt; hobbling around after just a few minutes of playing ball, Klausie’s favorite thing to do in the world. Bummer.

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Our boys love to sunbathe on our paved driveway. I used to be able to walk for miles barefoot on the beach, boardwalk or streets no matter how hot it was. They are smart enough to seek out some shade or come inside when they get overheated. 

Life is easy; our meals are fresh and simple eaten outdoors. We enjoy happy hour on the front porch. I have to look at the clock in the winter and wish it was 5 pm, our happy hour time. In the summer, I look at the clock and go, “Shit! Happy hour is almost over” since we are so busy. I know it’s “five o clock somewhere,” but putting a time limit keeps me from day drinking; I can’t do that shit anymore without needing a nap. 

Watering my flowers and herbs at dusk is such a calming and zen-like ritual. I talk to them, tell them how pretty they are, and give them some encouragement and a nice drink of water. I deadhead my petunias every night and soon will have to start pinching back my basil as well. The smell of picking fresh basil to have with some beautifully ripe tomato slices and fresh mozzarella cheese screams summer to me. A little drizzle of olive oil and some salt & pepper can be a meal in itself. 

We go to bed later and get up earlier in the summer; we work more and harder than in the winter, but it doesn’t feel like it. Waking up to a sunrise instead of the dark does a lot for the mind and the soul.

I love running around the grass barefoot and not being cold. My favorite time of the day is between 4:30 and 6:30 pm. That’s when I like to get a little sun. I used to be able to “layout” all day, but I can’t do that anymore without a water source. I’ve always loved to layout on the cement around a pool. Rubbing baby oil on ourselves to get some “color” or while laying out on my friend’s rooftop with Sun In sprayed in our hair while smoking cigarettes is up there as a good summer memory. The brassy, ugly AF hair that took forever to grow out, not so much. 

When I was a kid, I never understood why older women said they couldn’t sit in the sun, it made them sick. Since the old menopause train pulled out of the station 7 years ago, I finally understand what they meant. 

I’m not going to lie; we do have air conditioning. When we started the spätzle business, I told Marty that after working in a steaming hot, literally from the 40-quart steam kettle in the production kitchen and working under a tent for hours mid-day at our farmer’s markets, I needed to have a place to cool off. This goes back to the ladies who said the sun made them sick, but too much heat does too. 

It’s an amazing feeling stepping into a cool house when we are dripping in sweat from working; I never had air conditioning like this before. We had an above-the-ground pool growing up, and I remember my dad coming home from work and jumping in. One time he was so hot from working in a machine shop all day that he ran in the yard and flipped himself over the side of the pool with his navy blue work clothes on. “Son of a bitch!” He screamed when he realized he had a pack of smokes in his shirt pocket. 🤣

There is nothing better than sipping hot fresh coffee on the front porch early in the morning and a cold gin and tonic with fresh lime in the evening. Sometimes I add a couple of dashes of bitters for an Ernest Hemingway gin & tonic. Lately, I’ve been enjoying a gorgeous, ice-cold glass of Rośe as well. 

Cooking outside is my favorite kind of kitchen to cook in. Marinating and smoking meats, grilling steaks, vegetables, and pizzas. It’s always fun to flip burgers or make home fries with pancakes & bacon on the flattop grill for Sunday breakfast.

We live a quarter of a mile from Camping on the Battenkill campground. It’s one of the best in Vermont, actually. We used to smell the campfires and be jealous since we love campfires. Last year we invested in the brand Solo fire-pit. It controls smoke from getting in your eyes and embers from flying everywhere. We had a campfire almost daily. Sitting around a fire on a clear, starry night, listening to music, sipping a little bourbon is just like camping. It’s better though because we can go inside and sleep in our own bed.

It’s almost 8:30 pm, and it’s not dark yet. It’s still in the mid-70s. The peepers are peeping high above in the trees. The crickets are chiming in along with some birds calling to each other. Cheep!!!! Every night I keep my eyes open to spot the first lightning bug. 

Right now, the dogs are sleeping and snoring away while we are relaxing on the front porch. It feels like being on vacation all the time. We all really do love the dog days of summer here in Vermont. 😎