In my small corner of the world, July is the sweltering zenith of summer.  Small pleasures abound this time of year: the smell of growing corn, the buzz of cicadas, the cool sweetness of watermelon, the willy-nilly flight of small bats at dusk, the delicious reprieve of air-conditioning.  The list is endless but there are a few pleasures I’ve been especially thankful for this month.

Kan Jam.  My competitive family is hooked on this fun Frisbee game and we’ve spent many sultry summer evenings playing together.  Anything that entices my teenagers to hang with their dad and me is going to be at the top of my happy list.  Prime family time and some exercise to boot – a perfect summer pleasure.

Fruit smoothies.  About two years ago, I had a momentary lapse in good judgement and attempted The Fast Metabolism Diet.  The diet was an abysmal failure overall but it introduced me to a simple, no-fuss, guilt-free recipe for fruit smoothies that is perfect for the summer.  They are so refreshing AND are a healthy substitute for those Coke slushies I also adore.

4 day work week.  Most faculty members at the local community college where I work have 9-month contracts.  I have a 12-month contract because of my specific teaching and clinical responsibilities so I’m on campus all year.  When summer rolls around, the college operates on a four day work week.  This means I’ve been enjoying 3 day weekends with Fridays off all month.  Do I need to explain how much I am enjoying this?  I didn’t think so.

The Man in the High Castle mini-series.  This Amazon original series is based on Philip K. Dick’s book by the same name, an alternative history/sci-fi tale set in a 1960’s United States after Japan and Nazi Germany have won WWII.  The alternative history aspect has been fascinating but it is often dark and brutal – the Nazis and Japanese are still behaving as they did during the war.  Even though we aren’t exactly sure what’s going on, the content is thought-provoking and addictive.  My husband, youngest son and I have watched the entire first season this month.  The second season is scheduled for sometime later this year and we can’t wait!

Ice cream from Pine View Dairy.  One dip of peanut butter curl ice cream on a waffle cone, to be precise.  I’ve been indulging far more often than is reasonable but, really, who could blame me?

I hope you’ve had the opportunity to indulge in small happinesses this month.  Please tell me about them in the comments!