Look out Weeds, Here We Come!

I am looking forward to summer this year.

While that might be normal for most people, it isn't for me. I am more of a fall kind of girl. Red leaves, crisp evening air, cinnamon candles, plaid, football.

I grew up in northern-central California where the summer heat soared above 100 all the time. Dead weed smell hung unmoving in the heavy hot air. My stomach hurt the entire month of August. Makeup turned into sludge on my face. Even in the car, sweat trickled from behind my knees where they touched the leather seat. The goal was to go from air-conditioned automobile to air-conditioned house/store/movie theater as quickly as possible.

And, while the season here in western Washington is a lot more comfortable, there are hundreds of laborious tasks to do because it finally stops raining. Weed-pulling and painting and shoveling beauty bark. Ugh.

But last year, we didn't do any of those things. June, July and August of 2008 were a mixture of joy, sleepiness, confusion, worry, love, exhaustion and planning. Really, the only yard work that got done was mowing the lawn. And that was all Mr. T.

Everything going on in our lives was new and we spent many days indoors with weeks-old T Junior in a baby swing wondering, "Now what?" It was either that or Mr. T was running to Babies 'R' Us for some necessity we didn't know we needed like more swaddling blankets or Soothies.

This year will be different.

Me and Mr. T still mutter about not knowing what to do, but not as often as we used to. And, T Junior will be a year old. Maybe he'll be walking (although, he's not real interested in that right now). But we can go to the park and swing, swim at the community pool, go for walks in the jogging stroller with friends.

This year, there will be birthdays and tiki torches, fresh-cut grass, Coppertone, overall shorts, Little Swimmers, wide-rim hats and oversized glasses, sun tea and barbecued burgers.

I'm even cautiously excited about getting the yard under control. After a year of neglect, it needs it.