Morning glories, welcome to today’s post, Where Bloggers Live 06.2025: Things I Love About Summer. Even though the calendar says summer is still officially 10 days away in the northern hemisphere, in El Paso, Texas summer has been here for several weeks. A heat advisory has been issued warning that “the hottest days will be Sunday and Monday with a low risk for highs at or above 110. The heat advisory will almost certainly need an areal expansion by Saturday or Sunday, and there is a low to moderate risk the heat advisory will need to continue for Tuesday.” ~ [El Paso, TX Severe Weather | MSN Weather] We’ve had 9 days of triple digits already and had 55 days over 100* last summer. But, as we always joke…at least it’s a dry heat!!
Where Bloggers Live Series
The idea for this colorful series originated with our adventurous leader, Bettye, at Fashion Schlub. She describes this series as being kind of like HGTV’s “Celebrities at Home,” but…with bloggers! Every month, Bettye challenges the six WBL bloggers with a prompt that invites us to reflect on our lives, dreams and memories. You can find some of my other 2025 Where Bloggers Live posts, here:
Hope you will be sure to pop in to visit my WBL buddies with me and we can find out all the things they love about summer together! They are:
Bettye at Fashion Schlub
Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Em at Dust and Doghair
Iris at Iris’ Original Ramblings
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style
Sally at Within a World of My Own
Leslie at Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After
Where Bloggers Live 06.2025
As I said, we are 10 days short of the first day of the summer season, here in the northern hemisphere. Today my Where Bloggers Live friends are talking about the things we love best about summer. I think it might be easier for me to think of things I like best about fall or autumn because that is my favorite season. But will give this the old college try!!
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Things I Love About Summer
El Paso summers are mercilessly HOT. We have already endured about a week of triple digit temps, and this weekend and the first of next week promise to be scorching. Highs close to 110* and lows in the upper 70*s…not very low at all. In my book, anything above about 100* is darn hot. But we are talking about things I love about summer, right? Okay, here goes.
- floating in our pool: floating is fun on its own but last summer, for PC’s retirement present, we had a TV installed from the ceiling of our patio. I bought this motorized, flip-down TV mount with remote and had an electrician install it. Now we can watch TV when we are outside (Reds baseball games). We like to lay on our foam pool mattresses, parked right in front of the TV. Spoiled rotten.
- spending a few minutes on our patio in the cool of the morning: bonus if I sit outside and read and/or write while I am out there. I like to eat breakfast outside, too. And would enjoy eating dinner on the patio but that is the hottest part of the day.
- summer fragrances: coconut, pineapple, tropical blossoms in everything from body sprays to sunscreen, candles, and wallflowers. I just purchased some summer wallflower plugin fragrances from Bath and Body. Check out this article for recpmmendations for some affordable summery scents for 2025. Thinking it might be fun to burn a beachy-scented candle on the patio or even use a plugin by the patio table. In the summer, I like spraying my hair with a salt and sea texturizing spray that makes my wavy hair curlier. You have no doubt noticed I am not big on doing much with my hair or wearing a lot of makeup. Ha! And less so, in the summer but I like to smell good!! Speaking of messy, summer hair…check out this tee shirt Lauren bought to surprise the girls when they leave for Disney on Sunday. The girls think they are going to the ‘forest’ which means Ruidoso, New Mexico (90 miles from home) but instead they are going to Disneyland in California. I think I need one of these tees to explain my summer ‘dos. It usually looks like I’ve combed it with a fork.
- summer flavors: we are landlocked in El Paso, for miles and miles around!! But I love seafood, especially in the summer. Shrimp or fish tacos. Shrimp cocktails. Clamato micheladas are popular in El Paso and this recipe looks divine. Wish someone else in the fam would drink them with me; I would love to mix up a pitcher!! We grill year-round but in the summer months, we use the grill several times a week. It is a sneaky way to get PC to do some of the cooking. For Father’s Day, we are having hamburgers on the grill, how about you? I have a watermelon in the fridge for Paul on Father’s Day. We enjoy smoothies with all the other delicious fresh fruit available this season, too. And of course, ice cream.
- summer fashion: at 67 years old, I am not terribly excited about going sleeveless or wearing shorts/skorts but I do!! Summer fashion is so easy, when I get over worrying about how my exposed arms and legs look. With our hot summer temps, the air conditioning is on full blast everywhere we go so I usually have a jacket or cardigan with me. I have begun wearing skorts to the gym to workout and will wear shorts around the house and yard, and occasionally to a baseball game or out for a hike. Sundresses with a wrap for date night and church.
AND
- Daylight Savings Time: I know there is some hubbub about switching to a year-round standard time but I love Daylight Savings Time. Some folks complain that they don’t like getting up in the dark but it is light here by 6:00 am, and somewhat light before that. I much prefer having hours of daylight at the end of the day. Being able to be outside after dinner. So my vote goes for continuing with Daylight Savings Time.
- the possibility of camping(!!): when I was a little girl, I loved to go camping. We had a very basic Coleman pop-up camper. Two beds with a small storage unit in between. I daydreamed about having a real RV when I grew up and would cut out all things camping-related from the Sears, Montgomery Ward (remember them?) and JCPenney catalogs. PC camped some as a child with his grandparents but has never shared my enthusiasm for camping. That is, until NOW!! He has gotten the camping and fishing bug after our trip to Colorado last week. Paul has created 2 wishlists on Amazon, one for camping and one for fishing and I am thinking this might really happen!! My family’s camper looked something like the one below, but it is far more deluxe because it has a refrigerator and sink.
- beach, baby: we aren’t going to the beach this summer, and that is fine but I do love me some beach. We have gone to South Padre Island, Texas a couple of times most recently. But Galveston, Texas is another beach we visit as a family. And PC and I have had all-inclusive beach holidays to the Dominican Republic and Cancun. I remember being absolutely DAZZLED by our trip to Cancun. Our resort was so pretty, and we stepped from our patio into a lazy river and swimming pool. This summer instead of going to the beach, we are ‘road-trippin’ it’ to Ft. Worth to visit my daughter Brennyn and her family. Remember how badly I’ve wanted family photos since you and I first met each other?? Well, last summer at South Padre, my wish came true. Haven’t framed the photos I love best…YET. But will make that happen this summer.
- lightning bugs: I adore them, don’t you? But we don’t have them here. So these days they are a novelty relegated to summer vacations spent elsewhere. On the other hand, we don’t really have mosquitos, either. Too dry.
Finally
- sun-kissed skin and tan lines: yes, yes, I know how dangerous suntanning can be. And I totally overdid that in my teen and young adult years. Paying for it now with oodles of sunspots all from head to toe. But I do look better with just a bit of a tan. It can come from the sun or a can of spray on tan. And nothing is cuter than seeing the pale bottom of a sunkissed baby well-greased with sunscreen
- lends itself to lots of photos: golden hour is just beautiful here in El Paso, even when it is 110* in the shade. Summer sunrises and sunsets are pretty swell, too. Also enjoy photographing changes the season brings. Occasional thunderstorms – our ‘monsoon season’ is around the 4th of July and we may pick up an inch or two of rain in a few days’ time. By comparison, we are at less than an inch for 2025 so far. Rain and rainbows, full moons, the greening up of our world after a little rain, all make great subjects for photos
- all the outdoor activities: most of which have to be done here in the morning or after sunset to be pleasant. I am talking baseball games – PC’s and our Triple A team the Chihuahuas, morning walks, dining out al fresco, going to the park with the grands, 4th of July fireworks
While summer isn’t my favorite season, I do really dig the summer vibe. The other 3 seasons just don’t have that same energy and free-spiritedness.
Your Turn
Is summer your favorite season? What are some things you like best about summer? Did any of my favorites strike a chord with you? All of this talk about summer has me thinking of the activities and possibilities for my summer goals and bucket list. That post is coming up on 06.23.2025. Hope you will put together your list of plans and share with us.
Off to bed. We are keeping our thermostat on 82* and even so, the AC is running so much. Thank goodness, sometime in the night, the house finally cools and first thing in the morning, it can even be slightly chilly. Enjoy a sunshiny weekend, friends. Thank you for taking time to spend a few minutes here with me.
Hugs and kisses,
We don’t have lightening bugs either..and boy do I miss them. Talk about fun summer memories when I was young.
I love how both you and Bettye included on easy summer outfits and beach days.
XOOX
Jodie
Lightning bugs and I go waaaaay back. I remember chasing them when I was very, very young at my grandmother’s Missouri home. All children should experience their joy. Beach days are the best. But of course, we don’t have beach!! Our pool is a wonderful sub for the beach, though. Have you guys ever been across the AZ-MX border to Puerto Peñasco? It is within driving distance for you guys and I. Have always wanted to go.
Well, Leslie, for someone who doesn’t love summer, you were able to come up with a lot of things about summer that you do love! Your pool set-up looks great. Maybe my husband would get in our pool more if we had a television out there. He does love his TV. I too love the fragrances and flavors of summer…and the sun on my skin. I am careful about protecting from sunburn, but can’t resist a little summertime tan.
For a long time our life revolved totally around baseball. Saturdays were devoted to PC’s own ball games, then at least 5 nights a week were devoted to the Reds. We couldn’t go anywhere or do anything when a game was on. So the TV outdoors was a gift to PC but also a gift to me!! Now at least we can be outside when the games are on. Geez!!
I would but with your coloring you tend to get rosy pretty quickly with just a little sun exposure. But I bet your tan well, too. Isn’t it a shame that the sun’s rays can be so dangerous? I love being warmed and browned by the sun.
You have found so many things to love about summer – it’s great to see that you make the most of this season, even if it’s not your favorite. Isn’t the salty texturizing spray fun to creating some beachy waves? Your pool + TV situation is really terrific!
Thank you!! I feel a teensy bit guilty for having a TV outside but we have so enjoyed floating and watching my husband’s beloved Cincinnati Reds play baseball. It is our favorite way to relax.
I like you (even tho I always feel weird for saying it) do not love summer as much as others do!! Oh, your pool is so nice and that was so smart to install the TV. I would love to float and watch my shows! I should try and eat breakfast outside, that sounds so relaxing and a good way to start the day calmly.
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Yes, yes!! Start your day, at least once a week with breakfast outside. That is the most comfortable time of day here so I like to take advantage. We often go to bed before the temperatures are out of the upper 90s. So it is hot all day. I bet you guys would enjoy a TV outside, too.
I’m not a huge fan of summer honestly, but your pool looks super inviting. The heat, humidity, and bugs are just not where its at for me, but I do love seeing how everyone else just soaks up and loves the sun and heat.
I wish soaking up sun wasn’t harmful. I love being in the sun. But I am so badly speckled from years of skin damage. We have sails over the pool to try to cut back on some of the strong sunshine while we are in it. They make the water colder, though. Boo.
The TV at the pool, wow. And the picture of your little one. Love love love. I adore summer fragrances too. To be honest, I wear them in the winter too.
Me, too!! If I like a fragrance, I wear it year round. And Bath and Body Works must have figured that out because I noticed they have a summer/winter body spray called something like coconut snowball!! Thank you for your kind words.
You’re going to think I’m making this up, Leslie…but we had a pop-up camper JUST LIKE the one you posted! It was white and aqua green too! One time we were camping and my dad forgot to put the jacks (?) down…the kids were in the foldout bed and my parents were sitting at the pop up table and WHOOP, the whole thing tipped over, haha. SO much work for them to take us on the road but we had wonderful times!
(I really feel like I should call you after I read your posts…SO much to chat about.)
The pool TV is brilliant! Not sure I would ever leave it…BUT the mosquitos are hyperhungry this year…we have had WAY too much rain. Love the lightning bugs…we do have them and they are so fun. When there used to be a field across the street there were hundreds and hundreds and I used to sit on the front curb to watch them with the kiddos…it was like paparazzi.
So much else to say but I’ve already taken up too much space, but THANK you for the salt spray tip! Gonna try that one!!!
Sweet friend, I have thought of you so often lately. Hope you can feel the love across the miles.
We had a near catastrophe with our pop-up camper very similar to yours!! We were parked on a hilltop campsite. A horrible storm came up and we about blew into the lake. It was a really bad storm, lots of wind, lightning and thunder. I was sick with an earache and we left the next morning to get me home to our pediatrician. Oh, those were the days!!
Oh, you guys would love an outdoor TV. As beautiful as your outdoor space is. What a delight to be out there in the evening when the shows come on. Except for the pesky mosquitoes, I guess. We really rarely have mosquitoes. But this is our monsoon season so we might wind up with a few before things dry out again.
Your pool setup with the TV is so fun! I would stay out there floating all day! I’m with you on daylight savings time – it’s light out until around 9pm here. I love fish tacos and all the summer scents like coconut and pineapple!
Jill – Doused in Pink
Thank you. I kind of thought the TV was a little bit outrageous but it is so nice to be able to float and watch the ball games. We had the TV already so the expense was just having the electrician mount it. Wow, daylight until 9 pm? That is great. We head to bed about 9:30, would feel silly going to bed with the sun still up.