Is It Summer Yet?

a blurry image of me before heartache struck and
I started feeling my age.  ouch. 

Here in Lexington, in Kentucky, we are proud to let our friends in tropical climes know that we enjoy all four seasons.  We neither have a constant springtime, nor a never ending winter, we have four separately beautiful portions of our year that produce all sorts of sights, sounds and smells of all that we love about said Seasons. 

Winter brings lots of cinnamon and red-and-green decorations, we find ourselves drinking and eating treats we ought not (but boy, are they ever good, or what?) -- I called it 'fudge season.' 

After the Winter that wasn't, we're now nearing the end of a Spring that sprung so fast, if you blinked your pollen-soaked eyes, you missed it. 

My brother Marshall, at the Greenbrier with my Pops and
family,  during the good times when everyone was still alive.
I hope there's a Greenbrier in heaven, I really do. 

Spring reminds me of burgoo, cheese eggs, chilly picnics at Keeneland warmed by the whiskey and, hopefully, winning on longshots. 

Summer contributes its share of calories with Slush Puppies, ice cream, fruits and veggies that delight the palate with their freshness (watermelon, tomatoes, Bibb lettuce are my favorites, in that order ;-).  Of course there are July 4th barbecues, grilling everything from fish to filet mignon, yes sirree, the charcoal grill can put the taste of summer into your world, and evokes fond memories.

In answer to the musical question:
Where HAVE all the flowers gone? 

Fall is football, chili, burgoo again (Keeneland induced) and lots of warm-me-up comfort food.

However, even with all those tastes to challenge our seasons and spirits, sometimes the switch from one quarter of the year to the next just brings the shifting sands that like to drag us under. 

I truly hope that after a fall of losing my good health, an even worse winter of the tragic loss of my brother, and a non-flowery springtime of losing at love -- after all that, I truly hope that summer will simply blaze a new trail for Kimmy, a path to happiness, a road to smiles.  I am really putting all my energy into my job during the day, but the hours between the coming of night and the coming of sleep are spent learning more songs on my ukulele, lead new groups to the adoration of the ukulele and bringing the joy of this happy instrument to more ears and hearts.

What's wrong with that? 

Nothing. Not a dang thang. 

Uke on.

It is climbing into the upper 80s today and tomorrow and the weekend...just days before Summer arrives in all her star spangled glory.  If you can't take the heat...well get the heck outta the kitchen and chill somewhere.  Like Alaska or Loch Ness...yeah, Loch Ness sounds cool, eh?

If you are still reading this, I thank you. Something is on my heart and I cannot talk about it, it's simply too awful.  If you love someone, let them know....let them know now...don't wait!

love,
Kimmy