One thing I love about my fellow Minnesotans is our appreciation for warm weather. As soon as the snow starts melting in April, dozens and dozens of my fellow citizens are out walking around the lakes. It’s like a giant conveyor belt of people. I suppose this year we will all be “conveying” in one direction. Six feet apart, of course.
And summer – oh, give us summer. Bike rides, hiking, softball, going to the lake – we appreciate the warmth and sunshine as only people who have had nine months of frigid cold can do.
But, and you know where this is going, don’t you, yesterday was the first official day of fall. And here in Minnesota, the cooler weather is moving in, which really has me in a tizzy. Like a person with only three weeks left to live, I am trying to wring out all the outdoor activity I can from these waning warm days.
It feels as if when the cold Minnesota winter descends, we will indeed be in quarantine – for real. No more chatting over the fence, six feet apart. We will, if we follow health guidelines, be homebound. So, because of that, I have been frantically booking dinner dates at outdoor restaurants and coffee with friends on our patio in the backyard.
Some of you know that I love dancing more than almost anything in the world. So, this past weekend, a few friends and I got together to line dance. We set up a laptop computer and a speaker on a card table in my friend’s garage, turned on a YouTube video, and danced on the driveway. We did it yesterday, and we’ll do it again tomorrow. I’d like to think that we will do it until our sweat freezes, or until the ice builds up under our feet, which we all know could be next month.
So, this week’s delight: dancing in the driveway. And eating outside at a restaurant patio, and playing badminton, and taking walks, riding bikes. Just grabbing those last precious days of summer.
Note - Here’s a huge delight: John and I are leaving for a 2-week camping trip! (Another blessed activity allowed during this time of Covid). That means I will not be blogging for a while, but I definitely will be noticing the many delights around me. Happy fall!