Summer Time Reading

            Warm sunny day, cool breeze in the shade, glass of ice tea and a lounge chair. What do all of these things lead to? The perfect spot to escape into a good book. To me summer is a time to rejuvenate and store up brain energy for the coming months.

When I think back to when I was growing up on our family farm, some of my fondest memories involved escaping to a secret spot to read. After doing my chores I would head up the hill through the prune orchard and down the other side into a tree lined gully. There under the overhanging limbs of a wild quince bush was the perfect spot to hide out and read. The entrances into this little secluded spot had been made by either our sheep or deer as they made their way along a time worn path that meandered through the trees. I can remember bending low and entering this little oasis where the temperature was always cool and little beams of sunlight filtered through the leaves. This was the perfect spot to get lost in my book because it was far enough from the house that I couldn’t hear if someone called my name, but it was close enough to get home quickly if I heard the “get home now whistle”.

Today I don’t have to worry about finding a secret reading spot where I can hide to avoid being given extra jobs. Instead my reading oasis is right outside my back door. I have traded the hard packed ground for a comfy lounge chair with a beautiful view of our flowers and small raised garden. Listening to the birds chirp and feeling the cool breeze as I lose myself in whatever book I am reading at the moment is one of summer’s blessings.