Mrs. Teabody Shares Twenty Out of Thirty of her Reasons to Love June

Truth to tell, I love all the seasons and everything each season brings. Many of my fellow Pennsylvania-born-and-bred friends feel the same way and cannot imagine a year without fall color, without a significant snowfall or without a spring where the barren trees miraculously burst into full leaf and lawns and fields turn green. And then comes June with some of her days so ridiculously PERFECT and with her promise that we can  now count on at least three months of warm--sometimes TOO warm - -weather. This morning I will share twenty out of my top thirty reasons for loving June right here in  Fulton County, Pennsylvania because I want you to think about how very much you also love this month and come up with your own TOP TEN. Then maybe a little later on we can SHARE? Let's get started:

#30. Long, Lovely days

As I write this, the eastern sky is already starting to color and it will be full daylight before six. In another two weeks the sun will have rolled north along the mountains as far as it will roll and the days will begin to get shorter. This light, this exquisite and hopeful light will last till almost  nine o'clock. June days mean that there is enough time to do more than come home from work and put on your pajamas. In fact, the lengthened days can make you more productive and happier than you've been in a while.

#29. Morning Cheerios in the garden.

The very essence of June is fair weather and fair weather means your living space just expanded almost exponentially. Take that bowl of Cheerios OUTSIDE and if you have a garden, it's even better. No garden? Trees are nice.

#27. and #28. Mama's wedge and iced coffee.

You can say it's just a ham and cheese sandwich if you like but Mama's wedge is AWESOME. Pair it with leftover morning joe over ice and you have a picnic. If you're wondering where the other half went, you must ask my other half.

#26. Old-fashioned cascade petunias, the kind you "gotta" pinch.

Yes, I know there's a new invention called WAVE petunias that don't require pinching but there is something special about these smelly, sticky little ruffled wonders.Among my earliest memories of falling in love with flowers is having my Aunt Mildred teach me how to pinch properly.

#24. and #25. Sunroof and car windows open, raggedy-ass hair.

I bought my fun little car knowing the sunroof would be open any time it was nice even though the wind plays havoc with any semblance of neatness and God only knows what people think of my music. From coming of age through my dotage, summer cruising is fun not to mention a visual treat all green and gold. June is not too hot, not too cold to enjoy a breeze inside your car, even though - -maybe because - - it is hell on hair. ( Who cares?)

#23. The summer fridge--yes, that's Moscato, budget champers and an extra large Chardonnay. Because. Parties. Happen.

And when you find yourself in the company of at least one other friend, why wouldn't you decide to seize the day to catch up, to lament, to soothe, to plan, to drink, to laugh? Spirits in moderation are lovely. June is NOT scotch, not whiskey. It's senoritas drinking margaritas; it's VT and/or GT; it's something white and winey and maybe a tiny bit bubbly in a stemmed glass. Cold.  Slainte! Cheers! Here's mud in your eye on the Fourth of July!

#21.  Apricot roses

#20. Pink roses

#19. White roses

Carly Simon once said that anyone who leaves home during the June flush is mindless. The June flush is when roses unleash their bravado performance and bloom their fool heads off. It's something to behold. To enjoy. To savor. Their perfection is hopeful. Just add water. And fertilizer. Mother Nature is in charge.

#18. Big bright umbrellas

Once relegated to the beach, many, many folks now have a big bright umbrella to shade their picnic tables. Could anything be happier?

#17. Porch naps

Naps are the province of babies and older folk, and how blissful is it to fall asleep while lying on a swing or a lounge chair while reading on the porch? We know what it is to wake up holding a book, glasses askew, hands tingling, not entirely certain what time it is, what day it is and not giving a hoot.

#16. Casino road trips with friends 

Several of my favorite friends enjoy gambling, especially slots, and it is among my happiest of diversions. These road trips don't always go perfectly. We've been known to get lost, take a way-too circuitous route to avoid killer expressways, end up in another state  that was not part of the planning. These trips often involve diner stops, garden centers, nice hotel rooms and even when we don't win, we have fun.  June means no snow and ice on the roadways and what's not to love about infinite possibility? Let's spin.

#15. Unexpected guests

Mrs. Teabody knows folks who spend the long Pennsylvania winters as housebound as furniture. Spring gardening draws them out of their lairs. They're hungry for company then and they sally forth and finding themselves in YOUR part of the world, they just might drop by. Pull up a chair. Sit a spell.

#14. Whimsy 

Let's face it. The world can be a somber place by times but June reminds us to be whimsical. For the younger folks among you that means a sudden impulsive and apparently unmotivated idea or action. Why can't we reflect that in our choices of something out of the ordinary, some surprising spot of color at tea time? Or any time. Just look at this herd of teapots gathering on a table top for no other reason than to show off their summery coats. Well, we HOPE that's all they're up to. Do be whimsical. Don't do it in the middle of a surgery, however.  

#13 Roses so beautiful you almost weep

Most of my friends grow things. Or as mentioned previously, we water and fertilize and let Mother Nature take the reins. The results are the very essence of summer. Rose bushes in February are thorny barren sticks. March and April push from the inside and leaves form. Warm May pushes harder to full leaf and then buds appear. But it is June that brings the flower and what flowers they are! I drove into our parking area yesterday and brought the car to a stop when I saw this beauty in full bloom. I have never witnessed such intense color. It was some strange cast of light, some ephemeral moment that I will most certainly need to hold onto. These cabbage-y, cuplike English roses seem almost to defy gravity and they smell just like summer. So get up close and personal with a rose. Keep a hanky handy.

#12. Caprese Salad

It's good tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, a drizzle of olive oil,  some salt and MAYBE--not ALWAYS -- a drizzle of balsamic. It tastes great any time. It tastes great-plus in June. The colors are homage to the Italian flag. Did I mention it's delicious?

#11 June fruits

They're lush, plentiful and delicious and no summer gathering is complete without them. Find your orchard, your berry patch and start picking. Nothing better than a June strawberry, is there?

So there you have them: twenty of my top thirty reasons to love this month. It's gardening-heavy for a fact because you can take the girl off the farm but you can't take the farmer out of the girl, to abuse a phrase AND take enormous liberties with the meaning of the word girl. And maybe some of this seems a bit too social for those less inclined to socialize. No worries. Your list surely doesn't have to be the SAME, for heaven's sake. I'm saving my top ten for the end of the month and I hope you'll send me your lists as well. You must embrace June of course. And you won't find it here on your computer or on your phone. It's just outside. And it's waiting for you.