Villa Groovy in the Summer

I LOVE where I live - in the summer. It's the perfect temps - warm & sunny - no humidity - and sometimes I even feel that it's really Summer; I actually sweat during a hike with the pups. Neighbors are more visible - gardens planted by the industrious amongst us attempt to flourish in spite of the limited (4 months at best) growing season. Our trees - long leaf Cottonwoods - are the native species here and can grow up to a few feet a season. Jack planted one for our wedding that we can see from our kitchen & dining room windows - it's now over 12 feet tall, six years later.

Nights are still somewhat cool, but one can venture outside to stare at the starry spread of illuminated constellations and planets that appear close enough to touch.
Majestic.
Sublime.

Brings back memories of the Hayden Planetarium I visited numerous times while I lived in New York. I had no concept that the night skies could actually exist in such a glorious manner; city girl that I was.

After a number of river trips spent sleeping out under the stars, I became enchanted with the idea of always having the night sky as my canopy. So an over the bed skylight was added to the home design plans, for which I am forever grateful.

Trades

Sparkling city lights for the broad expanse of starry skies,
Urban conveinence for country quiet,
The crush of crowds for the crackling cold,
Anemic storebought eggs for the bright orange yolks of the cackling chickens,
Trips to the Mall for paddling whitewater on weekends,
Big name bands concerts in large venues for cozy outdoor hippie fests,
White linen for Guatemalan weave,
Luxury automobiles and sexy sportscars for practical 4 wheel drive beater trucks and Subarus,
From mowing lawns and landscaping to raising goats for weed removal - and milk,
From big chain restaurants to tiny roadside cafes,
From writing checks for charity to volunteering in person,
From taking a cruise to rowing my own boat on river trips,
From mainstream America to the outpost of civilization,
The majority of the time, I appreciate my new life.
Trading up, not trading off.

Peace!