Woohoo! Summer's Here.......Or Is It?

Ah, it's Memorial Day...the so-called official start of summer. Granted, its original purpose was to remember with gratitude our fallen US soldiers, and you do. But, you've also taken the patio furniture and cushions out of storage. You've unpacked your shorts and flip-flops and put away your heavy sweaters (or at least shoved them into a to-be-drycleaned pile someplace where you'll probably forget about them until around mid-August). You've planted seasonal flowers, and some have even survived both the roaming deer and the dog's muddy Digging for Heaven Knows What Expedition 2012. 

The bright, warm sunshine and the sizzle of the grill beckon you to toss all pressing matters aside. Even the air conditioner lulls you into a state of relaxation with its telltale hum. In your mind, you're already reclining on a deck chair with a favorite book and sipping a tall glass of iced tea, complete with fragrant lemon wedge artfully placed on its rim. It's picture perfect. Well, except for the ice cubes being some weird whitish half-moon shape your freezer produces instead of the more aesthetically pleasing crystal clear blocks.

But the funny thing about Memorial Day is, it's NOT technically summer, not yet.  At least not here in the Northeast. The next day, it's back to the harsh reality of your regularly scheduled daily grind.

Memorial Day is just a mirage of summer yet to come. It's nothing but a tease. It's that cute guy who flirted just long enough to induce your daydreaming about the date he eluded to, right before you never hear from him again...or at least not for another four weeks or so.

So while your brain has checked out and transported itself permanently to *insert favorite beach here*, you, my friend, are still physically stuck in the reality of Spring-Summer Limbo.

If you're a parent, that means the holiday itself is also a School Night...with the accompanying flurry of quickly fitting in the kids' post-barbeque baths (the dog isn't the only one who finds dirt fun). Ditto for removing any sand they've encountered during a trip to the beach. But because it's NOT summer, there's the added pressure of doing it rapidly enough so they get to bed at a reasonable hour despite still being hyped up on ice pops. Plus there's the homework they had all weekend to do but suddenly remember at 8:40 pm. That's certainly not very summer-like. Worst of all? You still have to plan and pack school lunches daily...for WEEKS. (Are you crying yet?)

And speaking of homework, Memorial Day wrongly leads you to believe because it's summer (again, it's technically not...don't be fooled), teachers will let up a bit on the kids' workload. Instead, it's crunch time for cumulative tests. It's also when they assign final projects which count as a major component of the overall grade. Yup, have fun dreaming about that iced tea while you figure out how to build a simple machine from exactly 22.5 inches of string, a cardboard wrapping paper roll, four paper plates, a shirt box and a broomstick handle (none of which you have in the house, by the way....you just used the last of the plates for the barbeque).

Memorial Day also gives the impression that once it makes its calendar appearance, your planned vacation must be near. Nope. The holiday has yet again manipulated the space-time continuum. You've still got a good six week wait if you go away in July, even longer if not till August.

You may tell yourself, well, even if the days are still busy, at least I can unwind outdoors during the warm evenings. Wrong. The beginning of June is notorious for filling your calendar with nighttime events at rapid speed. There are school plays, concerts and ceremonies; dance rehearsals and recitals; and don't forget Little League baseball play-offs. Yeah, you and that lounge chair aren't going to be seeing each other anytime soon, day or night.

Also disappointing because you were tricked into believing it's summer? (Darn you, Memorial Day). You might think you can stop by an ice cream place after one of those evening events. Not on a weeknight. They, too, know school is still in session and therefore, continue to close on the early side until summer really begins and they start their open-till-midnight hours. 

But lest this post leave you wanting to impale yourself with a beach umbrella, there's actually a bright side to it not being summer just yet. Think about it. When you dug out your shorts, surely you also came across that summer horror of horrors: the swimsuits.  If it were summer, you would be required to wear one often, possibly even daily......and most likely, in PUBLIC. Or worse, you might have discovered you no longer fit into any of them and will have to go...<<<<<gulp>>>>>...swimsuit shopping.

Maybe it's best that Memorial Day doesn't send everyone rushing headlong into summer after all. Try to enjoy these last few weeks of spring and take advantage of the fact you can still use clothing to camouflage any bodily imperfections, if you so desire.

Actual Number of Days 'Til Summer Begins at 7:09 PM EDT on 6/20:  23 
Real Feel:  too long to bear
Minimum Number of Swimsuits Tried on Before Leaving House on Any Given Summer Day:  3
Number of Swimsuits Tried on When Shopping for Single Swimsuit:  72 

TALK TO ME:  What aspect of summer are you most looking forward to this year....you know, besides getting the whole swimsuit hurdle out of the way?