I will confess that for many years, I thought the change of the seasons was highly overrated. In my defense, I was living in Calgary, where winter is endless, spring and fall are so short they could be considered almost nonexistent, and summer was marked by cold winds, thunderstorms, hail, and mosquitoes. I could really imagine myself living in a place like Maui, where the annual temperature fluctuation was less than ten degrees, and the sun shone happily every day.
Now I’m living in a place in which each season really is three months, and each builds into the next gradually, rather than going straight from Snow to Mosquitoes. I can really appreciate the beauty in each season and what they have to offer. That said, I am truly a Summer Girl at heart.
I love summer. I love the ease of getting dressed, I love wearing skorts and sandals, I love that “stepping into an oven” feeling when I come out of an air-conditioned house, I love the abundance of fresh produce, I love my garden, I love my flowers, I love it all! I don’t love the occasional smokey skies and the existential angst of being in a drought and thinking about the state of the world, but you know what, there is no sense in being anxious about something I can do almost nothing about. Stuff your worries in a sack, and then take that sack and frolic in the sunshine. Or, as Mary Oliver says, take your old body out in the morning and sing.
Nicole’s Favourite Things: The Summer Essentials Edition
Hello Hawaii
Recently my dear friend Suzanne (HI SUZANNE) was talking about “signature scents,” and I realized that in summer, my signature scent is Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen.
I love that coconutty floral scent, and I also love how it adds a little shimmer to my skin, in addition to being a great sun protectant. On the parts of my body that are not exposed to the sun, I have been using Nivea “Firming” lotion this summer, and I would like to go on the record to say that “firming” is too tall an order for a bottle of lotion. However, it is a really good moisturizer, with a light scent that allows the Hawaiian Tropic to shine through.
You Otter Know
Speaking of Hawaii, some of you might remember that we took many spring break vacations to Maui when the boys were younger.
Since the boys were fairly young, and since Maui is a pretty expensive place, we would always go to Costco and the grocery store, and make most of our meals at the condo we would rent. And if you are a Canadian going into a US grocery store, no doubt you will be able to relate to our feelings of awe and wonder when we did so. US grocery stores have an incredible variety of cereals, cookies, and other snack foods, in comparison with those in the Great White North. As a brief aside, I clearly remember “going across the line” when I was a very young child, and trying a Twinkie for the first time. I was so excited. Twinkies were not then available in Canada, but they were heavily advertised in Archie comics, and I Could Not Wait to try one. Imagine, then, my grave disappointment when first it hit my lips. The idea was better than the execution.
Anyway, Maui grocery stores were literal heaven for my children, who had never seen such a vast array of packaged goods, like Young Nicole as regards Hostess snack cakes. Nowhere was this wide variety more apparent than in the frozen treat aisle, where my children were introduced to Otter Pops. They had, of course, had Mr Freeze and other such treats, but we were incredibly charmed by Otter Pops, with their clever names and array of flavours. Sir Isaac Lime! Little Orphan Orange! Poncho Punch!
Fast forward to this summer, when I was in Costco and I saw Otter Pops! I immediately and nostalgically texted our family chain, asking if I should buy some, expecting that I would get, at best, a “ha ha” reaction. But no! My son said “sure” and to make a very long and quite uninteresting story short, we have been enjoying Louie Bloo Raspberry and his friends as after dinner treats.
I like that they don’t have food colouring in them anymore, I like that they are small enough to be just that tiny bit of sweetness that is sometimes required after dinner, and I love that each treat reminds me of those vacations with the boys.
Everything Happens For A Riesling
On the topic of refreshing treats, let’s talk wine. I am a red wine girl, but in the summer, I love a crisp glass of white. I love buying local, and I cannot get any more local than Tantalus Vineyards. Their 2025 Riesling is award-winning and highly rated, and it’s a perfect drink for a Friday on the deck.
Clawing Back
I love a boozy beverage or glass of wine as much as the next person, but sometimes I want a little something that is nonalcoholic. My friend Sammi (HI SAMMI) introduced me to NA White Claw.
I was a bit skeptical as I don’t like the regular White Claw, but these are delicious and refreshing. The mango is a great flavour, as are lime and black cherry.
Getting Off
If you are having an outdoor event, you should invite me. It’s an insurance against mosquito bites, because I will get them all. If there is a single mosquito within a four kilometre radius, it is going to find me and bite me, and then the bite will swell enormously only to eventually fade into a purple welt and, later, a bruise. I am so sexy and irresistible to mosquitoes and any other biting insect. They love me. They cannot get enough of me. I am Paul McCartney at the height of Beatlemania, and mosquitoes are my screaming fans, all wanting a little piece of me and my blood. My husband sometimes victim blames me for “not wearing proper clothing” because I am often, like a dance hall girl in the Yukon gold rush, boldly exposing my ankles and arms. But I will say the victim blaming is unfair, as clothing is only a small hurdle for mosquitoes to conquer; they can and do bite right through such impermeable articles as jeans and raincoats. If you are siding with my husband right now, claiming that it is not possible, let me assure you that it IS. I have had bites on both my bum and my mid back while wearing such clothing, and I promise I did not expose those parts of my body. I think the only clothing solution would be to don a full-on beekeeper-style outfit, and I am just not willing to do that to walk the dog.
I have tried natural remedies, I have tried every hippie, plant-based, essential oil-infused product there is, and every time, every single time I have been immediately swarmed. There is only one thing I will use, and it’s DEET.
Listen, I don’t love spraying my entire body with Deep Woods Off every morning before our walk, but I would rather bathe in DEET than be covered in welts, bruises, and bites, downing Benedryl every night just to get some relief. I always shower post-walk-and-garden, and so if I’m low-key poisoning myself, it’s only for a few hours each day. Even with the afore-mentioned drought, mosquitoes still abound in the early morning near the shady creek where we walk. Or, at least a few abound. Yesterday I thought it had been hot and dry enough that I would forgo the Deep Woods, and sure enough, I have three enormous, very itchy bites. They may have been the only three mosquitoes in the valley, but they found me. At this rate I will be Deep Woods-ing myself until fall.
Outfit of the Month
Recently my friend Birchie (HI BIRCHIE) said just because we don’t live near the ocean doesn’t mean we can’t go to the beach, which I took as a sexual euphemism of some sort. I don’t know what sort. But of course what she meant was that lake beaches are good beaches, and I have many such at my disposal.
When we used to come here on summer vacation, we would take the boys to the beach almost every day. Then, we moved here, and I rarely, if ever, go to the beach. I walk adjacent to the beach frequently. I drive by the beach all the time. But I don’t go, and that is a real shame.
My friend Joy (HI JOY) suggested a picnic and visit at the beach, and I just can’t believe we don’t do this more often. She also kindly took these outfit photos: comfy coverup dress from La Vie En Rose, and Skecher sandals.
The handkerchief tankini top and swim bottoms are also from La Vie En Rose. I find they always have great end-of-season sales, and I have gotten a lot of mix-and-match pieces very inexpensively over the years. Plus, it’s a Canadian company!
Summer is half over already! I am going to take my old body out into the morning and sing. I hope you have had a beautiful July, my friends. What are your favourites this month? Tell me everything. xo
I am currently staying in a town where the temperatures run 5-10 degrees cooler than home, in a house with central air, just steps from a pool. This makes summer hit differently. A small example: I hardly wear socks in the summer at all, so I didn’t pack enough and had to buy some.
But even so, I miss my house, my cats, and my garden, not to mention the kids (one of whom isn’t even there).
Central air conditioning makes all the difference. I would feel VERY differently if the house wasn’t a cooler respite (we keep the house at 23-25 degrees C, so it’s not COLD but nice and cool). I’m so happy you have a pool so close, I know how much you love swimming! But all the same it’s hard to be away from home.
My husband is the mosquito magnet in our house, although I have been getting my share lately, GRRR. We’ve had mixed weather this year, sunny hot days, cooler rainy days and I’m okay with that. Favourite July times are evenings on the deck with my husband and I just returned from Victoria with my daughter where we explored two new to us beaches, Botanical and Sombrio and enjoyed time with parents/grandparents.
Good to know about La Vie En Rose mix and match bathing suits!
We have had hardly any rain, which isn’t atypical for us, but after such a dry winter it feels ominous. Victoria is beautiful! I haven’t been in forever!
I love summer, too! It’s been a HOT and HUMID one in Minnesota but I refuse to complain because this is the weather we wait for through our long, dark winters. And it is so much easier to parent small children when you are be outside for hours on end. Oh to be a mom in California that can take her children outside for hours every day (well, so long as there aren’t life-threatening wildfires… every area has it’s downsides to put up with…).
My new favorite thing this summer is this Eucerin Radiant Tone cream I’ve been using on my skin day and night to try to get a dark spot by my temple to fade. My dermatologist recommended this over freezing it off. And now I’m being more disciplined about washing my face every night and applying my retinol. I would previously do it on days I wore makeup, but that’s typically only 3-5 days/week. It’s been good to get back into a better face care habit. It takes 4-6 weeks to notice a difference in the tone of the dark spot but I think it’s getting every so slightly better.
Those otter pops are fun! Taco would love them as he’s all about popsicles and such. Paul wouldn’t touch thing since he won’t eat anything fruit flavored!
Oh I didn’t know about this cream. Eucerin is a good brand! So moisturizing and gentle.
Yes, there are always downsides in every area *she says as she looks at the smokey skies* but it’s nice to not spend months on end freezing!
Nicole, you poor thing! How awful that mosquitoes attack you and leave you with bruises and welts! You must be a super tasty mosquito magnet! I guess I’m just average in tastiness. Mosquitoes bite me sometimes, but a little Benadryl bug stick takes care of it. And yes, I agree that they DO bite through clothing! I’m so jealous of your lovely weather! We’re in a cycle of unbearably hot afternoons, which cause storm clouds to gather, resulting in quick and violent storms of wind, pounding rain, hail, and lightning. You know exactly what it’s like!!
Oh, get this Michelle – I am allergic to those Benedryl/ After Bite sticks! It makes my skin puff up and swell even more. The only thing that works is cortisone cream, and even then it doesn’t work for long, and Benedryl orally. But Benedryl makes me sleepy so I can only take it at night! Sigh. Yes, I do know exactly what it’s like to get those storms! I hope there’s not much hail damage!
HAHAHA I SHARE YOUR AFFLICTION!!!! It would be interesting to see if I could serve as bug repellent for you or vice versa bc that’s exactly it – the ONE BUG will find me. “There are no mosquitos” — I *laugh* at that, bc there are always mosquitos, and they will always find and bite me. Anyway! I also always use DEET when going outside unless I’m walking (they cannot get me when I’m moving though I don’t even dare stand still at a traffic light) and since I’m in FL, this is a year round thing not just summer. I have used the Deep Woods OFF but my favorite DEET is Ben’s 30% – seems to work so well for me and they even make a wipe you can stash in your purse without worrying about spillage. People who are not mosquito magnets do not understand any of this! (And like you I also overreact to the items and develop welts + itch for days).
SHU, it would be interesting if we were at a gathering and there was only one mosquito – who would it choose? I am imagining a mosquito going back and forth between us until it drops from exhaustion. Oh gosh I didn’t even think about what it would be like in Florida, with the heat and moisture. YOU WOULD HAVE THEM ALL THE TIME! Argh! I am going to look into Ben’s, because I wouldn’t mind having something in my purse like that wipe you mention.
I live in California and our Otter Pops still have the food coloring!
What? Really? I just assumed yours would be the same!! (and hi! Welcome!)
My favorite thing about July is when July ends, because then we’re one month closer to escaping from the infernal heat and humidity and mosquitoes that comprise summer.
(Clearly, my position has not changed in the past couple of weeks.)
And hey, don’t knock the beekeeper getup until you’ve tried it. I actually have taken it out on morning walks, just in case…but only when I’m walking through the park before the sun has even come up, just in case there’s anyone out there who might see me.
Naked Otter Pops? I had no idea they’d ditched the food coloring. Didn’t work out so well for Crystal Pepsi back in the day…
Mark, I’m getting the feeling that you are NOT a Summer Person! I tend to chat with everyone when I’m out walking, I wonder what their reaction to the beekeeper outfit would be.
C from California says that Otter Pops in the States still DO have food colouring! Huh! The more you know, I guess.
We do like our additives and preservatives here in the States!
what’s your blood type Nicole? in our household Lizzy gets all the mosquito bites. she got 28 overnight in Atins, and we just came back from pharmacy with a after bite cream. I think I off kids off and was not strong for her protection. poor girl, her face is full of bites, some swollen.
it’s so nice that you went to Hawai consecutively with the boys, such a Nice tradition.
Yes, Coco, we went to Maui every spring break from 2012-2016, and then again in 2023, as a “last big family vacation.” Those were wonderful vacations.
Ah, poor Lizzy, I feel for her! I often will get bites on my hairline and it’s just awful.
I will not rest until I get my hands on a mango NA White Claw. I know you would not steer me wrong.
The grass is always greener on the other side, isn’t it? When I go to Canada I always stock up on potato chips because you have so many good flavors that we don’t have on our side of the border. Twinkies were Forbidden Fruit when I was young, and even though I am well aware that they taste like cardboard and will probably never have one again in my life, I wish the reality was different.
May we all go to the beach often…literally and whatever the figurative meaning is.
Oh you make a great point – we do have ketchup and all-dressed chips here, which I think are superior to all other flavours. I remember being SHOCKED that those items were not available in the States, along with Coffee Crisp and Smarties (the chocolate ones, not the little sugary fruit-flavoured candies, which are Rockets here).
I do not think you will be disappointed with the NA White Claw. It’s really tasty, and not cloyingly sweet like some NA drinks.
Your mosquito story reminded me of friends of ours who have a cabin in Finland. The mosquitoes are so bad there that they literally sit outside under mosquito nets, moving around with them draped over their heads. Can you imagine? It always reminds me of dressing up as ghosts with bedsheets as kids, only with bug nets instead.
And US grocery stores! Oh my goodness! As a European, even a regular Walmart still amazes me. The portion sizes! It would take me DAYS to eat one portion in US size. I still remember seeing the chicken breasts for the first time and wondering – how enormous were those chickens in real life?!
OMG Catrina, that sounds awful. It IS like a ghost costume!
I remember when an exchange student from Norway went with me to the drugstore to buy some shampoo, and she just said “there’s too many choices here.” And Canada isn’t even close to the US when it comes to selection for things! I feel confident we wouldn’t want to see those chickens – enormous and sad, for sure. 🙁
I love having four seasons, although in Melbourne you can sometimes have four seasons in one day. Admittedly, our winters are much milder than yours. My daughter is also a magnet for mozzies. One time when she was young, her ankle turned blue with a bite, and we thought she’d been bitten by a spider, but the doctor said no, probably just a mozzie. I am an intermediate-level mozzie attractor, I think.
I also have to resort to the non-alcoholic bevvies sometimes with peri-menopause. I would normally choose Heaps Normal, which is a non-alcoholic beer here. I was reading in the paper that they have just released a non-alcoholic prosecco, which is supposed to actually be good. I am going to give it a try because if it is decent, that would be amazing. I mean, it’s not going to match French champagne, but for when I really can’t stomach alcohol but want something to celebrate with it might be a good option.
I tried a non-alcoholic red wine and it was awful, which really put me off of the whole idea. My friend mentioned NA prosecco, which might be better. I find I really have to limit my alcohol these days to just a couple of drinks, otherwise I sleep poorly and feel terrible. I don’t enjoy beer much but I do like the occasional cooler, so these White Claw are really nice.
Yikes, your daughter! I am like that as well, people will ask what happened and I’ll be like “it’s a mosquito bite.”
I don’t seem to attract mosquitos too much, but know people who do. Ditto ticks. I talked to a chemist friend of mine and there are genetic/phenomenal/heat signature reasons for this. Not only are you sexy in real life… you’re a babe magnet for mosquitos. I guess you can run with that as a positive thing??? Maybe? I just saw you commented that you’re allergic to the after bite, too. I always forget about that sort of thing, but my daughter does have a stick at camp and I think she finds it useful?
I mostly hate swimming now. I don’t like getting my hair wet, and when I get water in my ears it can really hurt. I feel like such an old woman. I did get in twice at the lake, but didn’t put my head under either time. My teen self would be so disappointed in adult Elisabeth.
I LOVE one season and that is fall. If I could live in a world of perpetual Nova Scotian September 15-October 15th, I would do it. No bugs. Sunshine. Warm days, cool nights. BLISS, I tell you.
From your descriptions of Calgary over the years, I know I would struggle mightily in those conditions.
Oh, you would hate Calgary. The winters are so long and so cold, and fall lasts – at best – a couple of weeks before the snow flies. Sometimes the leaves are all blown off the trees by mid-September. Not always! But often enough.
Elisabeth, you reminded me of something! When I was first dating R, we were out here visiting and I had a huuuuuuge mosquito bite on my thigh. My future MIL, being thoughtful, put After Bite all over it. Well, my entire thigh puffed up in a perfect square where she had applied it. That’s how I found out I was also allergic to it!
I love summer and I love a lake. Living in Ontario we are AMLO g easy from any ocean.
Lordy. Typing this as a passenger in the car and sudden stop – the above happened. I was trying to edit and somehow submitted it. I was saying we are far from any ocean but we have a LOT of beautiful lakes. In fact we are on the way to our little cottage on a beautiful very tiny lake. I plan to be in said lake within a couple of hours. I’m also fortunate that mosquitoes aren’t too interested in me. That is true when my husband (who is attractive to bugs like you) is nearby.
Oooh enjoy your lake time, Pat! And tell your husband to slather on the Off!
That first picture of you mothering your sons needs to be in a frame. 💜
I’ve never heard of Otter Pops! I wonder if they have them in the Midwest. I will do some research.
That picture is in a frame! On our wall! It’s my fave picture of the three of us. It just feels so precious.
It is precious. 💜
My mother, daughter, and I are all Paul McCartney, Nicole. My husband and father have no direct experience with mosquitoes. It is really not fair. DEET all the way, although I have also had good luck with picaridin.
I am always a white wine girl but hoo boy does a glass of crisp Reisling hit so good in the summer.
You know what I would love to find? A really great air dry product that would magically transform my hair into something manageable without need of a blowdryer. I have yet to find such a product though.
“No direct experience with mosquitoes.” – ha!! I wonder what that is like.
I would also like to find such a product. I tried a product called “Don’t Blow It” which was supposed to do just that. I am sorry to say that it did NOT transform my hair, it just made it kind of limp.
Aw. LOVE that poem!!! And, I am also a mosquito magnet. So is my daughter, but my husband and son never get bites. I’m not even sure my husband understands what a mosquito is. Sometimes there will be a little gnat or something in the house and he’ll swat at it, saying it’s a mosquito- NO IT ISN’T. If it were a mosquito it would have already bitten me 5 times. Grr.
Its funny you say summer is “half over.” because school starts here in a little over a week. I KNOW, out schedule is insane. Plus, seasons mean nothing in Florida. It will be hot and humid until November (or possible, year round) and we’ll still say it’s “fall.”
Your beach looks lovely!!!
Your schedule is just so different from ours! I mean, not that I have kids in school anymore BUT they usually started just before or just after Labour Day – so, in September. School goes until the end of June here. So July-August are firmly summer months! Although, I guess that really does mean nothing in Florida!
Did you really NOT smile when you saw that rock? I DID.
At one point in our sons’ lives, I banned all freeze pops because I kept finding the wrappers all over the place, especially the little part you have to snip off the top. I was even finding wrappers shoved into bushes and next to their beds. Sigh.
Thanks for that poem. I sort of needed it today.
I totally smiled when I saw that rock!
Nance, that reminds me that when the kids were…I don’t know, tweens? Teens? And there would be lots of boys over at our house, I always had jumbo Freezies, and I had to institute a rule that they all had to be eaten outside, and the wrappers thrown in the kitchen trash. This is because they would eat them in our downstairs rec room and would throw them in the trash there, but maybe they’d miss the trash? The long and short of it is we had an ant infestation, and it could be traced back to a Freezie wrapper that was half in, half out of the garbage!
When my cousin and I went to France in 2022, we had a time share and a kitchen, so we did some grocery shopping. I was impressed by all of the natural food coloring in the sugar cereals, where in the US the same brands say they cannot sell them here, kids won’t eat them. Such BS, of course kids will eat them, they just want sugar. I hope more and more countries, and eventually even the US, will move toward more natural food coloring, as long as it’s healthy.
I love your pictures of vacations in Maui!
I had a dream the other night when I was taking care of Rex while you were on vacation. Though Rex looked like Hannah, but it was clearly Rex.
Hahaha I like how you are having blog dog dreams! Too bad you can’t take care of him when we travel!
Kids do just like sugar, I don’t think they care much about the colour.
I am also a mosquito magnet but fortunately don’t react badly other than itchy bumps. I wonder – does Rex get bitten too? Does he show evidence of that? I’m just wondering if mosquitoes bite dogs? I am also a red wine fan but white in summer, although I’ve cut down on wine a lot now. I should look for that NA White Claw.
I don’t think Rex gets bitten – if he does, he doesn’t scratch or anything. Then again, he’s on preventative medicine for lice, ticks, and fleas, so maybe mosquitoes are also repelled by that.
I really don’t have much to add to this post, other than that I could read your writing for hours and hours and never get tired of it. You are glorious!
My mom is a mosquito magnet. I enjoy being outside with her in the summer because she’s going to get all the bites and I’ll be bite-free. Muahahaha.
Hahaha your poor mom!
Thank you so much! xo
Summer is my season! Give me a beach, an ice pop, a good book and my paints and I’m happy, happy. Fun fact — My grands call me Deet, which is a family nickname dating back to age 2 when I couldn’t pronounce my name. I had it long before the pesticide!
Oh that’s so cute!
Summer is just the best!
I’m a fall gal, but I do like the fact that we have many more days of sun in the summer. I love wearing cropped jeans and a sweatshirt and a cozy cardigan in the fall! Our summers can get really humid and unbareable. But hey, summer is still something to look forward to !
We have very little humidity here, so the heat just feels nice and comfortable!
Nicole, if you and I were out together, we’d have to schedule a Mosquito Off competition (Although why would we do that?) because they also LOVE LOVE LOVE me; I too, am Paul McCartney! I am looking at three swollen bites that are still trying to heal after a week and a half. I can be with twenty people, and I’m the only one getting eaten. They bite through clothes: those little f*ckers!!
I’m adding to the Offends Me To No End List: four wasp bites on my leg I received during July, that STILL itch and can hardly heal. My legs are atrocious: sadly, my leg modeling days are over.
I’m dying at your husband victim-blaming you! The Nerve!
I love the photos of you and your boys in Maui; literally precious memories.
I grew up on Otter Pops; my Grandma always had them in her deep freezer.
I live down the street from the beach and I rarely go—it’s truly a crime! That being said, we’re going to go tonight for sunset if the effing rain ever stops.
FOUR WASP BITES WHAT. Same same, I would also be a big mess from that. I just got a mosquito bite today and a) we have had NO rain in weeks, b) the creek which I was walking beside is almost dry, c) we have massive smoke in the air from forest fires. WHERE DID THIS MOSQUITO COME FROM? HOW DID IT FIND ME? Maybe between you, me, and Suzanne, we could form the Beatles. We just need one more who is also highly desired. I’ll look through the comments and see who can be our Ringo.
Summer Girls Unite! I also love the feeling of stepping out of AC into full blown sunshine. That warmth always feels so good to me. Especially as I’m cold 90% of the time.
Hawaiian Tropic takes me back to my teen years, laying out in the sun and covering my body in that coconut oil. It was not sunscreen – LOL! Have no fear, I go to the dermatologist every year for an annual check and have never even needed one zap.
I was not aware you do not have an abundance of grocery choices like we do but I’ve never had an Otter Pop, nor seen one. We do have other brands of those, but they are full of food dyes.
I am no longer cold all the time and I still love that feeling!
I mean, I shouldn’t give the impression that we are Soviet-era Romania or anything, we do have choices in the grocery store – but the US definitely has way more! Especially for snack foods. We are all still loving the Otter Pops and I actually bought a second box. They are just the perfect tiny treat at the end of the day!