Summer

Summer! What I have waited for all year... I love the Spring, but I am head over heels IN LOVE with Summer. My favorite day is the Summer Solstice... the longest day of the year. You will usually find me out early, and staying out late... I need to absorb every single second of light that is given to me on this day. It is Yin and Yang.. good and bad... it signals the beginning of the hot Summer season; but, sadly, it also signals the beginning of the Sun's inexorable march south. The days are beautiful, but each day is slightly shorter. Still, I love it. I love every drop of sweat that trickles from me. I love the caress of the Sun's rays on my aging body. I love the songs of all the birds, starting early in the morning, and lasting until dusk. Sadly, my hearing has deteriorated to the point where I no longer hear the peepers and the crickets singing at night. I miss those songs. However, I can still see the lightning bugs signaling to each other, as they search for a mate. I can still watch the little brown bats come out as the daylight starts to fade, doing their best to rid the area of mosquitoes and other pests..

Summer, 2013, on Whaley Lake

  During the day, as I sit on the deck, or lie in the hammock, listening to music, the memories of Summer days past come flooding back. Days of my youth, not appreciated then as much as they are now. My friends and I at the beach... the smell of the suntan lotion. The hopes of finding some young girl who would find the skinny, pimple-faced, lank haired youth that I was, attractive enough to speak to. 
 I can smell the ocean and also the french fries and other foods at the concession stand. I can hear the sound of the WABC, WMCA, and WINS Rock and Roll radio stations coming from so many different transistor radios, from blanket to blanket.... The Temptations, the Four Tops, Martha and the Vandellas, The Beach Boys.... all of the Rock and Roll groups from the early '60s. What a great time to have grown up... before the President was assassinated... before Vietnam came along and stole our innocence. 
  At night, we sat out on our stoops... or under the street lamps, playing cards, singing, or just talking about our plans for the next day, the next week.. and not much further than that. We were young, happy (for the most part), and alive! 
 I think about those days, and friends who have come and gone, and a smile comes to my face. I'm happy and sad at the same time. Happy to have lived in the times that I did; but sad for the loss of those now gone... for whatever reason. I sit and listen to the music and lose myself in it for the few precious hours that I can. I will enjoy every moment of this beautiful time of year, because I know that time is fleeting, and it grows shorter with each day. Have a beautiful Summer, everyone. As always, Love and Peace to all.
 john Zaffino June 24, 2014
 Kent Lakes, New York