We’ve had enough windy winter weather lately that I have found myself wishing for the warmer temps that spring and summer bring.

In this part of the world, and more specifically this part of Mississippi, it doesn’t take long for the sweltering heat of summer to overtake the short-lived, brisk temps of spring. Sometimes we are lucky to even get a spring.

I’m reminded of an April day last year that my then-fiancé and I spent touring Vicksburg, taking in its sites, homes and amenities. Fast forward to a much warmer summer, we purchased and settled into our downtown home that June. A long back porch running the length of the house offers nice views of Vicksburg’s famed sunsets each evening.

Watching those sunsets proved to be a profoundly peaceful way to end my day my first summer in the house. A glass of iced tea, brimming with cubes that clink together with each sip, will always be more refreshing to me than a cup of steaming coffee on a cold day. I can hear the cicadas and see the tiny droplets of condensation pooling around my glass just writing about it.

I remember farmers’ market mornings, respites from the heat in a crowded Highway 61 Coffeehouse, many outdoor festivities around the Second Saturday events, weekends at the Anchuca pool, meals on the 10 South rooftop with its open-air views (no tarp or heating systems separate you from the skyline), and evening walks to take in the last bit of sunlight before dusk.

The familiarity and anticipation of these events make Vicksburg and Warren County feel like more than the town I reside in or a city I moved to for work. As the spring and summer months inch closer, I’m glad to be in a place that feels like home.

 

Catherine Boone Hadaway is publisher of The Vicksburg Post. She can be reached at catherine.hadaway@vicksburgpost.com.