Memorial Day kicks off the summer season. It begins the roller coaster ride of searing hot days and late nights. As an adult, it makes me wonder why I don’t have a backyard pool or a pontoon boat. But as an adult, I am old enough to know those things cost a lot of money, but they are also an incredible amount of work!
As a kid, our summers were simple: running through the sprinklers, eating juicy watermelon and catching fireflies by the bonfire. Now, summer get complicated fast: long car rides, expensive hotels, dinner shows, mini golf, laser tag…the list goes on. Do we actually have more fun- or are we just spending more money?
While I know no one wants to give up their summer trip (me included). I say we make summer last longer by enjoying every last drop of it. I do this by slowing down. I measure a great weekend by whether or not I got to lay in my hammock and read my book (and so far- I’ve had a LOT of great weekends!) I also try to slow down and pay attention to little things- like the Frog Show.
Never heard of the Frog Show? Well, maybe it’s just at my house on the back steps. Every evening right before sunset, frogs appear on the left side of the stairs and hop to the right side. It’s really fascinating. I have no idea where they come from or where they go, but they do this every night, all summer long.
If it doesn’t sound that exciting, it’s because you’ve got to be there to get the whole experience. First- you wonder if it’s even going to happen because there are no frogs, so you sit on the second to the last step and wait. Then one comes out and I have to call for Tommie to come on before he misses the show. Before you know it, there are 10 to 15 frogs jumping from left to right across the stairs on their nightly escapade. Big frogs, little fogs, baby frogs. This goes on for about 15 minutes. Some frogs go rogue and start jumping up the stairs and land on you (I think they do this to me on purpose). The other night- I listened to a podcast during the Frog Show and a frog sat next to me and listened too. Then just like that- it’s over.
It’s such a big deal at our house that it’s like a summer sunset- you hate when you get busy and miss it. And It’s become part of our daily summer dialogue “Will you be here for the Frog Show. Yeah- I can make back by then.” Or “No- I’ll miss the Frog Show tonight.” So, slow down this summer and enjoy the little things. You never know, there may be a Frog Show happening every evening at your house, you’ve just got to slow down and find out for yourself.
Watermelon Salsa by Melanie Knight
My friend Roy Cross introduced me to watermelon salsa in the early 2000’s. While I have since lost his recipe- this is as close as I can get to it. This sweet twist on a classic summer salsa is a refreshing addition to any backyard barbeque. It would also be great on fish tacos! (Apologies in advance if you have to take out a personal loan to buy a watermelon this year- inflation!!!)
Ingredients
- 3 cups diced watermelon- seeds removed
- 1/2 tomato- diced
- 1/4 cup red onion diced
- 1 tsp cilantro paste (or several springs of fresh cilantro- chopped)
- 1 tlb lime juice (juice from 1 lime)
- ¼ tsp Himalayan sea salt
- Add pepper to taste
- Optional: add ½ jalapeno- seeds removed & diced for some heat
Combine ingredients in a large bowl. Serve with tortilla chips
