I'm caught in one of those strange time warp things again because it seems like just a few short weeks ago I was very happy to note that the days were getting longer.
With the summer solstice arriving tomorrow, I find myself taking stock and am happy to say that I feel like I was an active participant in what has been an outstanding spring.
Hanging out on the deck in the late afternoon has been very entertaining over the past couple of months.
We have seen three families of chickadees come and go. If you are a chickadee mom or dad, you are busy all the time. Watching them fly from feeders to trees to birdhouses several dozen times a day is to witness some deft flying skill.
We were lucky enough to
observe two of the families "fly the coop." When the babies came out they kind of landed on the deck and started pecking away at nothing and then went to hang out in a hydrangea plant while mom and dad, caterpillars in mouth, flew around looking for the kids.
Soon the backyard took on the ambience of an air show with parents looking for kids and vice versa. After a few days it was all over. The kids had moved out officially and were eating on their own regularly.
What takes us 18 to 20 years to accomplish as parents takes chickadees a couple of weeks. Very efficient indeed. The family does get together several dozen times a day to discuss things at the cafeteria in the apple tree. That is much more social than a once a week Sunday dinner.
Like chickadees doing some early exploring, the community is buzzing with kids on bikes and playing in the parks. An early start to summer vacation doesn't seem to bother them one little bit.
I have grown to enjoy all seasons but summer is my clear favourite. I think it has something to do with the sensory experience that connects smells and imagery with recollections
of summers gone by. The evening air is seasoned with signature marinades grilling expertly on backyard barbecues and the promise of good times with friends and family over the coming couple of months bring a much welcomed feeling of anticipation.
There are plenty of great smells and sounds at Boundary Bay and spring tides have seen recent lows of one or two feet. If you haven't walked the sand bars on a low tide here recently you should. This past Tuesday's lunch walk with Luna, my trusty Springer spaniel, we saw 29 bald eagles and 16 great blue herons.
The smell of the warm, salty air is intoxicating and when I closed my eyes I could see the sand bars of Spanish Banks in Vancouver vividly and I recalled the wonderful picnics I shared there with extended family as a child.
I am going to try to be as successful in living in the moment in the summer as I was in the spring.
The seasons sneak up on you, that's for sure. Whatever your plans are for the summer, drink it in and enjoy! Don't forget to put malt vinegar on your fries, and buy at least one Popsicle from an ice cream truck.
