Five Favorites for This Friday

Believe it or not, it's the Friday of Memorial Day weekend.  I always find this time of year difficult, because I am not a fan of summer, though I do enjoy going to the beach.  But I strongly believe that it should not in any way be 90+ degrees and humid already, especially when it's still only May!  I hate that when it's July or August, but at least then I tell myself that's how those months are supposed to be.  I like Memorial Day weekends when it's great to be outside but not miserable.  And then June eases you into summertime.  Clearly I live in a fantasy world.

We had plans to go to WV for the weekend, as we often do on Memorial Day, to get together with family and have a ridiculous time.  But Dug is not doing all that great (he's having a particularly severe arthritis flare up), so we changed our plans to staying home and making our own fun.  And though it would have been a wonderful trip, having a long weekend with no obligations is also something we know we'll enjoy.  We already made plans to go out to breakfast one day, have our own picnic, and things like that.  Lemonade, people.  Lemons go into our tea here.  :-)

Anyway, I realize that it's been a long time since I've done a Friday favorites, so here is my Memorial Day Summer Kickoff Five Favorites for this Friday.

1.  Family.  I am always grateful for my family, immediate and extended.  But every single person has been understanding, concerned, and supportive of our decision to stay home, and is holding good thoughts for Dug.  And in our own little family, we are all happy to be able to spend time together and enjoy each other.  Life is fleeting, and though I had to learn that lesson at a young age in a way I wish did not have to be, I'm glad that it's made me aware of it ever since.  Whenever I remember that life is short for all of us and having someone, anyone, to love and love you is the point, I feel better about things in general.

2.  Cool nights that are pleasant for sleeping.  Being able to comfortably sleep with the windows open, and maybe even having to pull up the sheet over you at some point is one of the things I like best about warmer weather.

3.  Our CSA.  We signed up for the same farm share program as last year, and we got our first pick-up yesterday.  Fresh strawberries, asparagus, spinach, radishes, eggs, salad greens, and fresh cheese - it doesn't get much better than that!

4.  Planning our picnic.  There's a better than 99 percent chance it will be in the house, but planning the goodies is part of the fun of anticipating the holiday if you ask me.

5.  Bicycles.  The other day when The Tim was not working, he was nice enough to take my bike to the local shop for a tune-up.  (He rides his in all weather; I ride in nice weather only.)  I'd wanted to do it for weeks, but it has been so rainy, I just didn't get around to it.  So now my bike is ready to go whenever I am!  I love to ride, and want to try to increase my distance over the summer if I can.  There are so many great places to ride right around here, and even if it's too hot later in the day, the weekend early mornings are usually nice enough to get in a good long ride.

So there you have it.  As  the saying goes, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry ... but in our house, we just go with a new plan!  I hope your plans whatever they are, go the way you would like.  I hope you have at least five favorites that you can think about.  And I hope that whether you have a long weekend or not, that it's a good weekend anyway.  

Because here comes summer, no matter what!  :-)