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Some years it comes later than others, but when it starts as late as this, you can be reasonably sure it is here to stay. Oh, maybe arm warmers or a wind vest for a 5:30am start over the next 2 or 3 weeks, but basically the end of the “Chill,” is in sight, and I hope I haven’t jinxed it for June.
The last few mornings, I could smell the early summer, the strawberry blossoms, the tall grass, the wild onions, just that wisp of sweetness in the air, even though I still had to have the arm and knee warmer’s on for the first couple of hours.
Maybe now, I can put my winter knickers away until fall. I have been getting way too much use out of my rain jacket, wool t-shirt, wind vest, shoe covers and liniment for this time of year. For too long they have been my standard attire. I was beginning to wonder if I was getting soft, or was it really only 47 degrees for my early morning rides seven days before Memorial Day?
This morning for the first time, I could walk out the door with shorts and t-shirt and enjoy my breakfast at the picnic table, while looking at the lake, listening to songbirds, and watching the Osprey search for fish.
Getting dressed for my ride without having to watch the weather forecast and figure out which layers to put on was a real treat, not to be taken lightly. The 30 minutes of getting dressed properly is now put to good use riding, and getting in some extra miles.
From this day forward, I can get in 25 miles before work or 50 on the weekends before my wife is up having coffee and working on my “ Honey Do,” list.
So between, work, Ian’s Lacrosse practice, painting the trim, putting in a new lawn, fixing up the boat, and building stone steps, I may actually get a glimpse of “Form” and be able to sit in on the local Tuesday night group ride before the season winds down in September.
Putting the layers back on in the fall can be a refreshing change at first, but knowing how many more layers and bad weather months lie ahead does not make for a very uplifting experience.
But right now is the magical moment, the one to savor, to stop the clock, to slow down the calendar, to capture this space-in-time, to experience the joy of warmth and the long summer days that lie ahead.
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