Summer 2022 is officially in high swing as we celebrate America’s 246th birthday on this beautiful 4th of July. It’s 81 degrees and sunny here today. Not a cloud in the sky and a slight breeze at just the right times makes for a perfect day to be outside.
This is my first summer back on Long Island in over 20 years and I have been enjoying every second in my beautiful new home. The weather has been superb thus far, enabling many beach days and backyard hangs just soaking up the sun without too much humidity (yet anyway). Long Island truly has its own climate especially out east along the North Shore. It’s typically 7-8 degrees cooler than the city and tends to get more rain but so far it’s been a good mix of sun and rain to keep my grass green. This is why eastern Long Island tends to be an escape for all the city dwellers in the summer. I’m so incredibly grateful to call this my home again.
Summer is my favorite season for so many reasons beyond getting bronzed at the beach every chance I get (with lots of sunscreen of course since I’m a melanoma survivor). The transition from the cool breeze of spring to the warm breeze of summer is something I look forward to every year. That first feeling of being hot and shedding those spring layers; of the days getting longer when the sun starts setting later and later; the first ice cream you can eat outside again; the colorful flowers in bloom; my new vegetable garden flourishing; the first taste of juicy watermelon or crisp corn on the cob; the smell of outdoor BBQs; the sounds of kids playing and the birds chirping all day long. All of those things make my heart so happy that I wish the dog days of summer could last for more than 3 months a year. Cue Will Smith’s “Summer, Summer, Summertime”….