Things that mean spring: pied wagtails, forsythia and lilacs, opening the windows, cleaning the porch and oiling the deck, a slew of Swedish holidays, walking outside round the village, the return of the light, cleaning windows, baby birds, Eurovision, semlor, tax time
Things that mean summer: putting up the sun umbrella and hanging out on the deck, tall glasses of ice water, popsicles, growing vegetables in the garden, the growl of lawnmowers, honeysuckle and roses, sleeveless shirts, gelato, ripe cherries, Swedish strawberries, perfect artichokes, vacation
Things that mean autumn: sugar beets on the side of the road and the sugar factory starting up, red and gold and falling leaves, a zing in the air, decreasing sunshine but increasing activities, a new AIC year, sweaters, closed-top shoes, pumpkins, shooting stars
Things that mean winter: clementines, Christmas, candles, filling the bird feeders, blankets on the couch, not feeling guilty about staying indoors, gloves and scarves, Melodifestivalen, heated steering wheels and preheating the car, sometimes snow, frost patterns on windows, northern lights, a slew of Swedish holidays
This year seems, so far, to be very promising in regards to our gardening efforts. Everything in the vegetable plot is springing up. Even our roses are starting though it’s still mid-June. I’m excited about having cherries this year, since we had 2 years with none-to-sparse harvests. I was going to use the term “bumper crop” in anticipation, but had to pause and look up the origin of that phrase, which is overused so much it’s basically a cliché now. This is what I found:
As an adjective, bumper means “unusually abundant” and derives from the obsolete (no-longer-used) verb bump, meaning “to bulge.” The term bumper crop has been used since at least the 1800s. Its figurative use increased in the 1900s. I guess baby bump derives from the same usage.
I feel like I spend too much time of the year longing for spring (mostly due to missing sunshine), but after 27.5 (!) years in Sweden, it’s only to be expected. Once it’s here, it goes so fast, no matter how much I slow down to notice and enjoy everything about it. I mark the coming of the different waves of flowers and trees, rejoice at the greening and the little leaves and buds, smile to see the sun, the sun, the sun!
Someone recently commented to me that I live in the Land of Eternal Sunshine, and I had to laugh, because quite the opposite, actually. It’s just that I make note of every sunny or mostly sunny day, because it’s so important to me. Even though I’m often not out in it (for various reasons), I love to see the sun, the blue skies, light reflecting off water, and the warmth of the sun on my face, my head, my shoulders, is the only blessing I need.
Mood: contemplative
Music: Louise—Let’s Go Round Again