Simple summer pleasures

I have not driven a carpool in 2 weeks!!!

Ladies and gentlemen, if there was never another reason this summer to smile, that one little fact might just pop the limit on my happiness meter.
But, just like a late-night infomercial...wait! There's more! So here, in no particular order, are several more reasons to celebrate this wonderful season of waiting for nothing more sinister than the mailed final report cards. :)

*home grown tomatoes with chopped basil from my own garden
*the swim club
*dinners on the back porch
*naps on the back porch
*sipping tea on the back porch.
*hell, let's just celebrate my FABULOUS BACK PORCH!
*hummingbirds and butterflies
*walks with the dog at the park
*not arguing about homework
*grilling
*trading in my boots for flip-flops
*empty coat hangers in the closet
*farm market produce so fresh it's still coated with dew
*ice cold watermelon
*the smell of freshly mowed grass (ah-chooo!)
*Michigan weekends relaxing outside with the extended families
*painted toenails
*bonfires in the fire pit
*sleeping with the windows open
*washing cars in the driveway
*The Alpha with the top down
*bare feet
*frozen sangria

I need to keep this list handy for those days when it tops out at 98 and I'm wishing for winter. Summer has its own joys--I need to remember to look for them, embrace them, and allow them to wash over me when those dreaded August tuition bills arrive.....