(Me and my best friend, Ronda, Oak Island, NC, Summer 2013. I’m the one in the back with the dolphin-sized forehead.)

Well, it’s official: the sweltering days are here.

And it’s not even summer yet. The first day of summer isn’t until next Sunday, June 21.

No, it’s still “spring” according to the calendar, but the humidity and the temperature say otherwise.

Right now it’s 94 degrees with 46% humidity.

On Tuesday it promises to be 98 degrees.

Welcome to summer in the South.

Although I really can’t complain, because the weather only just turned torrid a few days ago. Normally it would be this hot by May, but we had an actual spring that lasted for more than 3 weeks this year – high 70s in the day, low 60s at night, ab-so-lute-ly ideal.

I wish that fleeting and perfect spell could have lasted forever.

Just this morning I was remembering those halcyon days – the mornings when I could open my patio door and my bedroom windows and leave them open all the live-long day, the ability to take my daily walk in the park in the middle the afternoon if I felt like it, sitting outside at high noon to enjoy a beverage and read a good book – ah, good times, good times.

We won’t be seeing any more of those days again until round about October, I reckon.  

I read on Wikipedia that “In the Northern Hemisphere, the dog days of summer are most commonly experienced in the months of July and August, which typically observe the hottest summer temperatures.”

Um, no, not if you live in the South, my friend. “Dog days” typically start much earlier, and last much longer.

On the plus side, I live on the coast, so I can take myself to the beach if I feel like it. But the truth is I seldom do, unless I have friends visiting from out of town.

And this week I do! My best friend and her husband are coming to Oak Island later today, which is about 40 minutes south of here, and they’ll be staying until next Sunday.

And lucky me, they’ve invited me to come down and join them in their beach condo for the week. So come Tuesday afternoon, once I’ve wrapped up as much work as I possibly can, I’m headed a south for fun, sun, giggles, great conversation, and lots of quality time with my best gal pal Ronda and her hubs.

Summer in the south, it ain’t so bad.

Especially when a beach, a blender of margaritas, and people you love to hang out with are part of the equation.