We had lunch out on the deck on Saturday for the first time this season. No leaves on the trees as yet, but the ivy was basking in the sunshine and making a steady climb towards the sky. The ivy in our yard is a life force. The snows of last winter did nothing to dampen its tenacious hold on everything from deck railings to the tallest oak tree.

When I was teaching, I remember thinking about the weeks that followed April vacation as the downhill slide to summer break. There was always such a flurry of activity to fit everything in. A time of field trips and projects punctuated with rounds of standardized testing.

It’s still the downhill slide to summer, but the schedule revolves around setting up deck furniture and yard cleanup and decisions about what and when to plant. A time when the focus is decidedly outward. The cozy chair by the fireplace has been abandoned.

This is the time when our sleepy little village gives a big yawn, looks around and remembers that we’re a summer playground. Summer people are starting to arrive on weekends to start the process of prepping cottages. The seasonal restaurants and ice cream stands are open for business. Landscaping trucks outnumber regular cars on our roads.

I love the quickening of tempo. The feeling that the soothing cover has been removed from the hive, and the bees are buzzing into action.