Saturdays in Suburbia

So the other day as I was walking home from my sister in law's house the sun was setting and I looked at the green velvet lawns all clipped in pretty little striped patterns with the summery smell of freshly cut grass and realized that this is one of the things I just love about suburbs. Saturday evenings you get that glorious summer smell of barbecues and freshly mowed lawns and it just feels a little more like summer time (even when it's not). It's the time of year when I picture families in their backyards, dad hovering with his tongs or spatula over the grill. A stream of smoke coming from the side and billowing up into a blue-pink sky. The kids are playing (yeah right, more like screaming and fighting over a toy or whose turn it is, but hey let's take a moment in la la land shall we?) and the neighbors might even be sitting on the deck in perfectly matched patio furniture with a cool beverage (cocktail, beer, whatever) chatting about today's little league game or junior's latest attempt at riding a bike without training wheels. Scraped knees and slight sunburn adorn the children and maybe one or two adults. The lady next door asks how your vegetable garden is coming along and you compare notes on how much you water, how many weeds you pulled, and what the rabbits are eating. Ah summer! If only you would never end. The long, lazy days, and those wonderful evenings when it cools off enough to leave the windows open. Summer, you romance us with your smells, sights and sounds, only to break our hearts when you start to burn up the lawn and force the children to say "we're bored, what can we do?" Ah yes, you seduce us like a new lover, letting us enjoy your warm, sunny days with slight breezes and maybe a brief shower. Allowing the children to play in your sunshine and green grass filled days. We know it won't last, soon you'll be searing us with your oppressive heat and stifling us in our homes, we'll wish for fall and the beginning of school so we can get a break from the heat and the kids. I love the beginning of summer, but just like a romance, I hate the end.