Summertime officially here: Let's cherish it

With the first full day of summer passing over the weekend, what many of us had suspected for some time became official: Summertime has arrived.

I spend most of the winter pining for summer's arrival, yet when it's actually here, it always seems to go by in a flash. Summer is one of those many things in life that we all too often fail to appreciate while we are actually experiencing it.

So I thought it would be a good time to take a few minute to consider all the things I like so much about summer. Here's a few of my favorites:

— Swimming pools. I wouldn't call myself a huge swimmer, but there's not many feelings in the world better than diving into a cool swimming pool on a hot afternoon.

— Shorts. I'm not a fan of pants. Sure, I may have skinny, scrawny, lily-white legs, but I don't care. When I can get by with it, I wear shorts. It's so much more comfortable.

— The Fourth of July. There are some other pretty good holidays throughout the year, but none comes close to the warm feeling of national pride you get on the Fourth of July. There's nothing like an entire community gathering together to sit under a summer sky and watch fireworks.

— Lightning bugs. Used to fill jars with 'em as a kid. Now I help my kids do the same.

— Freshly-cut grass. If "warm and sunny" had a smell, this would be it.

— Barbecue. I have to admit, I wasn't a fan of barbecue until I moved to the South. The problem is, Northerners just don't know what the heck they're doing. I've come to understand that good, Memphis-style barbecue — ideally with a cold beverage — is one of the most satisfying meals you can eat.

— Cook-outs. Though often used synonymously with "barbecue," true fans of both know there's a difference. A cookout is simply the act preparing food and eating it outdoors. It's usually hot dogs or hamburgers (though I also occasionally enjoy a good brat — a relic of my days living up North), and it's something you just can't do in January.

— Baseball games. An essential part of summer, though the actual game is of little consequence. For me, it's simply about being there — the sights, the sounds, the smells. Put a cold beverage at my side, and I'm set.

— Mosquitoes. OK, so I'm not really that big of a fan of mosquitoes. But if I had to choose between scraping ice off my windshield or swatting a mosquito, I'll take the mosquito every day of the week. Besides that, I've always kind of liked the smell of bug spray.

— Stars. Sitting on my patio the other night, I noticed the thousands and thousands of stars in the sky. You rarely seem to notice stars in the winter.

— Vacations. Summer trips are a tradition in my family. As a kid, we went to places like Minnesota, South Dakota and Chicago. As an adult, I've taken the family to places like Disney World, St. Louis and Hot Springs. Even with gas prices in the stratosphere, there's always someplace you can go. Part of summer is about hitting the open road.

A little over a week from now, summer will reach it's zenith, with the Fourth of July celebration. And then, it will all begin to end.

It won't be long after the Fourth that retailers — in their constant zeal to turn a profit by hurrying along the next season — will start the dreaded rollout of their "back to school" lines. Shorts, swimsuits, flip-flops and sunscreen will make their way to the bargain racks, as jeans and long-sleeved shirts are given the prime retail space. The days will start getting shorter, and we will again realize how fleeting this glorious thing known as summer is.

So let's treasure the season while we still have it. Let's eat barbecue, and go swimming, and look at the stars and catch lightning bugs. Who cares if it's a little hot? Who cares if there's a few mosquitoes out?

Summer will be over before we know it. Let's embrace it while we can.