All my life I have lived where there are four distinct seasons. Each season offers its own uniqueness and favorite characteristics. Who can resist the ambience of sitting in front of a warm, glowing fire with a glass of wine and significant other? A cup of hot cocoa with the kids is irresistible when there is a blizzard outside.

Oh, but summer…summer offers a completely different explosion to the senses. The days are longer, the air is warm, and the windows are open. Everything is so alive! From morning until night, I love how my senses are filled with the sights, sounds, tastes, and scents of summer. Listening to music is a favorite pastime of most everyone. When it comes to summer, music offers up a special tribute to the unique activities of summer and bonds to the memories for years to come. Songs about summer conjure up special moments in time. I love listening to music outdoors where the sound floats on the summer breeze, whether recorded or the natural music of nature.

As a child, I woke early just to feel the early morning dew on the grass. I played in the field near our house, chasing butterflies and picking wild flower bouquets for my Mom.


Allergies were disregarded just for the opportunity to feel the silky, soft fibers inside a milkweed pod. While I enjoyed listening to the peaceful sounds of nature, I could not resist adding some, perhaps not so peaceful, sounds of my own. I became fascinated with grass whistles and how each blade of grass made a slightly different sound. My grandfather’s garden offered a full spectrum of sense tickling pleasures, but was also a test of patience. Anxious for my favorite fresh-picked corn, I could almost smell the sweetness as it ripened in the husks. At the end of a hot day, nothing compared to a treat from the local ice cream stand – only open during the summer and so many flavors to choose from that I could not even count that high.


In my teenage years, different pastimes brought new experiences to my senses. The flavor of grilled cheese cooked on a wood camp stove on a rainy day cannot be replicated anywhere or anytime. Sitting on the dock late at night was peacefully quiet yet teaming with a symphony of sounds. Voices echoed from miles across the lake, frogs croaking to their mates on the lily pads and then plopping into the water, subtle rippling sounds as fish jump to catch a midnight snack of insects, the gentle movement of water lapping at the shore, and the occasional whine of the annoying mosquito.

The oceanfront amusement park was equally stimulating to the senses. Thrilling rides with bright lights and music appealed to all the senses. Cotton candy, candy apples, salt water taffy, pizza, corn on the cob, and fried dough all blended for a unique one of a kind aroma, yet were somehow individually discernible.
I watched people of all ages and backgrounds stroll along the boardwalk hoping to catch a glimpse of the sunset rich in shades of orange, pink, and red. When the senses became overloaded, they could easily be soothed by a quiet walk on the beach, listening to the breaking waves on the shore and feeling the sand enveloping my feet.

A lot has changed over the years, yet some things never change. My favorite activities of summer are only possible during summer (barring a trip to another part of the world in the middle of winter). I plant my own garden and anxiously wait for the first sweetest corn to match my grandfather’s. I blow grass whistles with my son and value every moment when he proudly presents a handpicked bouquet of wildflowers to me.

I love listening to nature’s music as I wake to the birds singing outside my open window and fall asleep to the lullaby of the crickets. Each day I explore the heart of summer because after all, summer is too short and one day I will wake to bare trees, frost on the pumpkins, then a blanket of snow on the ground, and a muffled silence as nature sleeps until next summer.