231: end-of-summer blues - a note of woe

summer is gone y'all.

it's still sunny and kinda warm where we live but i can tell the sun is running outta steam. she's tired and ready for a rest. not that i blame her cuz this summer was HOT. our sol sista put in a lotta overtime this year.

but i'm already missing her and we haven't even officially gotten to fall yet. i know i'll still see her when the calendar says january, but i won't feel her like i do now. she won't rub my back or caress my cheeks like she's been doing for the past several months. she'll be taking her loving strokes to some other hemisphere.

she's getting ready now, packing her rays one by one and sending them further south each day.

i'm jealous.

why can't i go with her? why can't she stay here with us?

true, our winters are moderate and mostly sun-filled. unlike where we used to live... still. i want heat and light.

does that mean I'm selfish?

or am i just one of many sun-sistas, women who have a fierce love for the sun despite her bad reputation as the cause of skin cancer and heat-related illnesses?

i know i'm not the only woman who revels in big sista sun's warm embrace, who welcomes her despite knowing she'll have me sticking to the leather seats at Chik-fil-A, walking around with sweat stains under the arms of my favorite summer dresses, and possibly getting up from a nice sunday sit-down to discover a wet spot on the church pew courtesy of faulty air conditioning and a damp bottom.

no matter that when she's hugging us tight, our water bill climbs to the rafters cuz there are three of us in here and we need at least two showers each per day. or that our 'lectric bill goes into triple digits cuz mr. bliss can't sleep without the air running full blast.

it feels wonderful to sit by the pool and allow myself to be lulled into a solar-induced coma while baby bliss swims to her heart's content.

i love waking up and heading out to the patio for an up-close-and-personal sun salutation, then plopping down on a lawn chair with the laptop or a good book for a warm and sunny lie-in. (or should that be "lie-out"?)

what would i do if--at least twice a week--i couldn't wake up to golden rays of sunshine gently coaxing my eyelids to open?

i think i would go mad. i'm already suffering from withdrawal symptoms and september's not even over yet. i swear i can remember the exact night when it got cool. the next day we woke up and it was cool then too. yeah, it warmed up that day but our heating time was very limited.

and there's something intoxicating about being outside at night in summer...

i get a thrill out of standing on a hot sidewalk, feeling the day's heat dissipate as it sneaks up into the soles of my feet, knowing sister sun has been baking the pavement all day to give me this pleasure.

the weatherman said it was 80 degrees today and 60 degrees last evening. but it sure does feel like 60 today and last night felt like 40. :0(

don't worry y'all. i won't shrivel up into an icy ball of sunless moss and roll around all fall and winter, pining for the days (and nights) of summer. however, every day i see sista soleil without feeling her full power will be one of melancholy for me.

but i'm a strong woman; i know i can handle it.

and on the day she comes back to me, i'll be waiting with open arms.

hopefully my heart won't be covered in tiny icicles.