Can I complain about the weather for a second please? After all, I’m Canadian. If I don’t talk to someone about the weather at least five times per week, I’ll be kicked out and forced to live on some remote island in the Caspian sea or somethingm

This summer? It has sucked. You know how a lot of people suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder in the winter because of the shortage of sunlight, cold, and all-around dreary weather? I wouldn’t say I suffer from it, so to speak, but I do start getting a bit down in the dumps by February and March, and I long for days of sunshine and temperatures that don’t include windchill factors.

But I’m starting to feel like I have S.A.D. this summer too. Because for the past three weeks, we’ve had one or two days without rain. Almost non-stop we’ve had craptacular weather. It doesn’t generally rain all day long but it rains early enough that it’s not good park weather, because who wants to sit in a soggy swing? And then it rains later in the day, ruining soccer games, outings to the pool, and playing in the courtyard with the family on the other side of our complex.

When it rains, especially in the evenings, it brings out hordes of mosquitoes which, naturally, is a truckload of fun. We look sadly out the sliding doors and watch the rain fall in the pool on our balcony (and hope it stops before it reaches critical mass which would require me to go out there and start bailing it out with my stock pot). I’d let the kids go in the pool while it’s raining if it was at least hot out, but the rain has made it damp (I wore SOCKS yesterday which is generally unheard of until September) which is not good swimming weather, and more often than not there are rumblings of thunder in the distance.

The other evening when I took the garbage out (in the rain), I noted that the grass is beautiful – so green and vibrant. By August it’s usually turning yellow. It’s nice that it looks so wonderful. It’s a shame that we can’t actually enjoy it. Kind of like my lovely little bistro table and chairs. They’re constantly soaked and I haven’t been able to use them nearly as often as I would have liked.

We’ve cherished the few beautiful days, going to the public pool or using the wading pool outside. I’m hoping for some more before school starts back up again. By this point the kids and I are getting a little sick of each other and it’s clearly a case of severe cabin fever. If we don’t get a break in the weather soon we may all go a little insane.

I’ve seen The Shining many times. I know what happens to people who are cooped up too long!

The forecast for the next five days? Showers and thunderstorms. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am.