Summer lovin'
It's the first day of summer! Finally...time to enjoy warm breezes and icy treats, margaritas and sundresses, Fourth of July fireworks and the fun that ensues from rolling electricty blackouts.
Even though in Chicago, the season quickly morphs to being unbearably hot and humid (I'm sure I'll be complaining in no time), for now, it's gorgeous and I want to take advantage. There's nothing like jogging/rollerblading/biking along Lake Michigan and being surround by literally thousands of other men, women and children, all getting their summertime groove on. For some, it's lying out on the beach (wear sunblock!) For others, it's running barechested (hello, hello, Mr. Man...) And for others, it's building sandcastles and splashing in the water. I love just soaking it all in - it makes me feel so - for lack of a better word - GOOD!
Last night I went for a walk and couldn't help but notice all of the summery smells I was taking in as I wove my way through the neighborhoods:
A lilac bush
Fried onion rings and beer from a sports bar
Clean laundry
Over-ripe apples hanging from a tree
Horse poop (Chicago cops!)
The clean sweat of a runner
A man's cologne that smelled just like my husband's (Joop!)
A wet dog
Cigarette snoke - blech
Freshly mowed grass
Let summer begin!
Comments
I love how you described that "the clean sweat of a runner" i love the smell of my hubby when he gets in from training. also more perversly i like to lick the salt off his arms since i discovered how much salt you lose through your skin. weird I know. this is so coincidental because yesterady as i was riding the subway in NYC i thought to myself this is one of things i hate about summer here - the smells. when you are up close to someone and its 90 degrees, some body had eaten too much garlic, a nurse in scrubs had used too much antibacterial soap, and someone had not brushed their teeth and someone else clearly had not showered, like you said fresh sweat can be attractive, stale not so much. i wonder why summer amplifies our sense of smell.
ugh-I hear you on gross subway smells, totally amplified by summer heat. Morning breath is the worst.
LOL! I tell ya, these humid Midwest summers aren't that fun. I find myself running indoors, taking my outside clothes off and planting myself in front of a fan. Thank God for AC! And as far as other people feeling the heat, I don't wanna smell them! Stay away, people-not-respecting-personal-space! But I do love the smells of flowers and grass, and even food cooked outdoors (esp. if I'm starving). Too bad my husband hates nature and we almost never go outside and enjoy it. Maybe I'll ask someone else to picnic with me, since he's such a poopiehead. But all my friends are off having babies, or going on vacations. Would it be weird to have a one woman picnic? Who would I complain to about the heat and the stupid bugs? Oh well. Guess I'll stay indoors with my hermit man. I'll make him cuddle at least.
