Summer is my favorite season and when you live in the Northeast, it's a short season.  I'm starting to feel somewhat robbed of the time due to my constant thoughts about fuel and energy prices for this coming winter.  Lately I find myself thinking about alternative heat sources (while the temperature is 85), wind power, solar power, and other such ideas when I'd really rather be thinking about which beach I'd like to go to. 

I haven't had much time to read for the sheer enjoyment of it due to work, school and kids and I had been looking forward to reading a few novels this summer.  Instead, I find myself reading books on wind power and passive solar homes.  I've made more trips to the books store than to the beach this summer!  And all conversations about vacation destinations become discussion about the rising cost of airfare (I don't know about you but I'm not paying for a little bag of peanuts on top of the already skyrocketing ticket price), gas, and food.  So there is now a fire pit in the yard for evening campfires, the pool has been set up, and tiki torches have been strategically placed to promote a vacation-like atmosphere in our own yard. This is not the summer I had envisioned.

The good news is we own over 70 acres of forest and will be selling some firewood to help offset the cost of oil this winter.  We will also be donating some wood to the town to help some of the elderly folks in the area.  And all of my summer reading has me convinced that our next house should be a passive solar design.  I guess overall, the current energy crisis hasn't totally ruined my summer.  It may actually serve to save me lots of money down the road.  Excuse me now, while I slip into my bathing suit, grab a cocktail and the latest copy of the Plenty magazine, and head outside to my backyard vacation spot.  It is summertime here in vacationland!