I’ve often written about my love for the holidays and my preference for the late fall/winter time of year. If I had to prioritize my seasons, they’d go in the order of winter, fall, spring and summer. I love when the days are short, when it’s dark around 5pm and — while I don’t deny that productivity around the homestead picks up when days are longer — there’s something about short days that makes it OK to be lazy and hole up inside with a cozy blanket.

That said, there’s generally one day each year when I begin to look forward to summer. Today was that day. It was warm but not hot, the air was comfortable but not still and the evening light slowly faded the way the wick on a candle does right after you blow out the flame. There was something lingering in the evening, and it was the anticipation of summer.

A few days ago I posted the Christmas Countdown clock, and today I felt the faintest hint of excitement about longer days, warmer weather and — yes — grilling season. I suspect that faint sensation will become stronger the closer we get to June. Cocktails on the patio rushed to the forefront of my mind; this will be the summer I finally experiment with herbs such as rosemary and basil in my adult beverages, as well as current trends like jalapeno and other spicy delights.

This might be the summer I finally drag my body out of bed at the crack of dawn on a weekend and do some kayaking.

It might also be the summer I relive some high school memories and find a place for a beach campfire. (Or maybe I’ll just buy a firepit to use here at the casa.)

It could be the summer I find time to literally fly a kite.

It might be the summer that I find some off-the-beaten-path, hidden areas of the southland in which to wander around aimlessly and photograph.

Or it might be the summer when a season other than winter takes first place in my heart. Unlikely, but you never know.

Whatever the summer has in store, even if it’s simply more gardening and finding time to recharge my batteries on the weekend, tonight I am thankful that — at least for a short while — my desire to fast-forward to the holidays has been replaced with the anticipation of summer.