The Summer that Never Came

Have you ever waited for something for so long that never came?  Maybe your standing there on the corner, waiting for the ice cream truck that never came.  Your could hear it's "ding-a-ling-a-ling" in the distance as you stood there clutching that crumbled dollar bill in your hand.  And you stood there.  Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.  Until the sound grew fainter and fainter, and the sky grew darker.

I think many of my fellow New Englanders can agree when I call this the summer that never came, even though we were sitting here waiting.  With bathing suits and sunblock, hats and beach chairs, sand pails and shovels at the ready.  Waiting to put those jeans and fleece* away.  It wasn’t until July 25^th that the temperatures actually reached (and stayed) above 80 for a few consecutive days.  This summer has been a mixture of rain and below average temperatures.  Which of course has paved the way for above average swarms of mosquitoes, colossal growth or poison ivy (and other unsavory weeds) and tomatoes blight.

 First the rain.  While we enjoy trekking through the trails of New England, we’ve had a hard time getting out there between the downpours.  We’ve walked on trails that at times, days after a significant rainfall, were running rivers.  We’ve almost gotten my van stuck (twice!) on dirt roads that are un-maintained (supposedly only in winter) that were completely washed out.  “Hello AAA, I’m out in the middle of no where and was off-roading in my Town and Country, can you come tow me out?”  We’ve had to dash up hills from ½ mile out in the woods to bet the thunderstorms rolling in (despite their being no bad weather on the forecast – welcome to New England).  I’ve had to dry out my basement more times then I care to recount.  It’s been one of those years that I’m actually glad the basement is only partially finished!

 The weather, while comfortable, doesn’t make for good beach weather.  We’ve still visited the local lake.  And while I sit on the beach in jeans, wrapped in a beach towel, Einey, Meenie and Moe happily frolic in the water.  I ventured in to take my swim test and nearly died of hypothermia.  Brrr.

 The bugs have been horrendous.  The mosquitoes are everywhere.  There is no combating them.  We ran out of our deep-woods off (yes, full of DEET, completely toxic and sure to harm my children) and tried out some CVS brand DEET free repellent the last time we went hiking.  The can promptly got its DEET-FREE a$$ thrown in the first garbage we came across.  I swear it attracted more creepy, biting insects then it repelled.  My girls are one giant walking bug bite.  Ticks thankfully haven’t been seen in large numbers since June, but with September coming, I’m sure they’ll be back in force.  One child with Lyme Disease is enough for one summer.

 Poison Ivy and other unsavory weeds are invading garden everywhere.  On the rare chance I can get outside to work in my gardens, I spend more time weeding then anything else.  I know weeding is a normal chore, but there is no end in sight.  In some spots, my weeds are bigger then the plants around them. 

 And the veggies.  For the first year, we joined a farm share.  Let me tell you, it’s been great!  Once a week, we get an email from the farm saying this is what’s available and this is the cost.  We email back what we want and pick it up on Saturday.  No work, no hassle.  We’ve saved a ton on veggies that end up rotting before we use them.  These stay fresh longer and my kids actually ask for them.  Who knew they liked salad turnips, beet or carrots?  But with the rain, many farmers have had to plant and replant 2-3 times.  Crops like tomatoes, corn and potatoes are being affected by fungus and blight.  The standing water is rotting the roots causing farmers to lose huge portions of their crops.

 Tomorrow will be August first.  School starts in 26 days.  That may seem like a lot, but for kids who have spent a majority of time dodging raindrops, it’s not that long.  Let’s all hope for a warmer, drier August. 

*And just in case your wondering, the fleece never got put away - it's still hanging in the closets for those nights when we need it, although those nights have (crosses fingers) finally gone away.

Comments

[Maureen at IslandRoar]

Amen to that!
Summer's almost over and it seems like it hasn't begun. I'm on the Vineyard and I can count on one hand the days we've even reached 80.
September better be nice or else....
I don't know, but Something!

[Chicky Chicky Baby]

I volunteer at a Farmer's Market and we were just discussing Blight. A real shame, I've been looking forward to tomato season.

[Margaret]

I'm hoping I will still be able to get enough fresh tomatoes to feed my homemade salsa habit without needing to sell a kidney!

[Audrey at Barking Mad!]

Hear hear!

Saturday was a perfect New England summer day. Of course I went and boasted about how awesome it was, and then what happened? It rained on Sunday and has been crappy ever since.

I never should have opened my big mouth!

[LifeAsIKnowIt]

Our poor fleece jackets and pullovers never got a break this year.

So far, August is shaping up to be a better month. Fingers crossed.