Summer is Coming

We have been enjoying such beautiful weather here in Orlando for the past few weeks.  It’s been sunny with a breeze and highs in the low 80’s.  Of course, this is just the calm before the summer heat ascends upon us.  One of my favorite parts of living in central Florida is the summer, but boy does it do a number on your home and landscaping.  With direct sun almost all day, our yard burns up quickly, especially during the winter and spring when there isn’t a lot of rain.

But lately, things have finally started to green up a bit and it prompted Chris and I to spend Saturday getting our yard and pool ready for summer.  (19 school days left, but who’s counting?!)  We started with a trip to Lowe’s where we bought new flowers and two giant planter pots.  We also got citrus tree fertilizer for our tangerine tree and pineapple plant, some grass fertilizer, and even some packets of seeds for the kids to plant.

We got home and put our bathing suits on to get to work.  It turned out to be a whole family affair with everyone wanting to help.  Chris and Bean brought out our pressure washer and washed down the deck, pool furniture, and pool deck.  I am always amazed at what a difference this makes.  It’s almost like putting a fresh coat of paint down.

While the boys worked on that, Gracie and I cleaned the pool and planted our new flowers.  I am not a gardener, so I don’t have any details to share on this.  I picked whatever was in the “Full Sun” area and in colors that I liked.  Very strategic in my landscaping preferences…

We stayed outside until the sun went down that night, just working in the yard, playing in the pool, and enjoying each other’s company.  We grilled out and had a late dinner around eight.  In the middle of dinner, we decided that we would run up the road to the Tasty Freeze in our jammies for a little dessert splurge.  I think Chris and I crawled into bed around 9:30 when the kids did, and we all slept happily, with full bellies and even fuller hearts.

Summer is coming around here and this weekend I got just a little taste of sunny days that seem to last forever.  That little glimpse of what’s soon to come was enough to get me through this last month of school.  I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…