The seasons in flowers and sounds

So we started back in late April with forsythia and a few crocuses here and there then moved directly into lilacs, daffodils, hyacinths and tulips -- some of my favorites. Next came the peonies, bobbing their heavy heads on too-weak stems until the inevitable heavy rain drags them to the ground. After that we move swiftly into roses, daisies, rhododendrons, flowering trees and flowers of all types celebrating the warm weather. In went the Impatiens, fuschia, petunias and geraniums to add more color and scents to the warm breezes.

Now we're into Roses of Sharon, hydrangea bloom and, while I haven't looked, I fear that chrysanthemums won't be too far off. Even when the Roses of Sharon start to bloom I start feeling mild tinges of regret because it won't be long before everything goes dormant again and we're stuck with nine months of blah.

The summer is going so darned fast - how can it be nearly August 1st already? Sob.

I had a blog post all ready back in May some time to talk about the sounds of the seasons. We hear the muted deep rumble of the trash trucks all year round but the school bus sounds only arrive in September and (finally) depart in late June. When the snow falls, there's the self-satisfied sound of snowblowers and the scraping of snowplow blades on the front of pickup trucks. It's wonderful to wake in the middle of the night and hear the town/city/county DPW scraping the roads off, then snuggle back down into the covers.

When we open the windows so anxiously in the spring -- just let it get above 40 degrees and I'm there, at least for a little while -- I'm hungry for the sounds of the birds, squirrels and chipmunks going about their daily business.

During the summer, you can mark the difference between weekdays and weekends in our neighborhood by the sounds of lawnmowers and chain saws. Apparently a couple of our neighbors have a lot of stuff to cut down or cut up so their chain saws are going for hours at a time every Saturday and Sunday.(I picture them looking out the window all winter long plotting their chain saw massacres for the first weekends in April and they never disappoint.)

Right now there is a harmony of cicadas in the ravine behind us that are singing their homage to the warm sunshine. Such a lovely sound. Every little while a car motors by on the side street next to us (we live on a corner). Very mellow and pastoral despite the fact that we're plop in the middle of a relatively large subdivision.Every once in a while an ice cream truck rolls by but not more than once a week or so.

As we morph into the fall in the next month or so, these same neighbors happily swap the chain saws for leaf blowers that stir up a cacaphony of noise that is so much worse than the leaves they're attempting to corral into organized piles.


Have I mentioned recently how much I hate winter? I know it's coming but I just can't let go of this beautiful time of year.

Today I revolt

I know the science behind ceiling fans: warm air rises.You have the blades scoop up the cool air in the summertime and fan it out across the ceiling, dispelling the warm air that hangs up near the ceiling to create more coolness in the room. In the chilly months, change the blade direction and force the warm air down.

Our bedroom is on the medium size but is also populated by two 98.6 degree bodies and two canines who clock in at about 101 degrees apiece. We keep the bedroom door open year 'round and the a/c is on or the windows are wide open all summer (shades down, thanks). So it can get close and very still in there overnight.

When we're in summertime-blade mode, the air moves but the feeling on your skin is barely discernible. In cold-month-blade mode, the air movement is much more active and there's a wonderful riffle of air that sweeps your skin all night long. Even in the cold months when the windows aren't open, the fan is usually on overnight to circulate the air so it doesn't feel so stifling.

We go through this low level tug-of-war every year. Johnnie gets it in his head at some point in the spring to switch the blades from cold-month to summertime configuration. Maybe the fan works more efficiently (according to science) but the breeze all but stops. Then when I've had enough of no riffling breeze, I change the blade direction.

Today we have arrived officially at this point for summertime 2011. I've slept probably two hours all night -- and those were in another bedroom where the blade direction hasn't been changed.

Welcome back, cool breezes! Anyone else experience this?

The sounds of

Vacation. Wish I could say silence instead.

Decibel level of "The Right Stuff" playing on the TV in the other room: ~75. Check.
The snoring from Johnnie lying next to me: ~20 on and off. Check.

Glad I have ear plugs? Absolutely.

It doesn't get any better than this!