I guess it’s that time of year again. No, not the holidays. That’ll come soon enough. No, not back-to-school though that is a thing now.
It’s time for my yearly, “Wow! September is pretty awesome” column.
It took me a few years to really appreciate it. When I was younger I wasn’t a big fan of school so I pretty much dreaded September. As I got older I really loved summer so I looked at September as the end of my favorite season. However, the older I got I learned to appreciate it.
When Priscilla and I got married, a long time ago — 1873? No that’s not right. 1981! —- we didn’t have enough money for a big trip. Our honeymoon was actually to Bar Harbor, Maine and then a tour through New England. This was September 12, 1981. A week or so AFTER Labor Day. The weather was still nice and most of the tourists had gone home. It wasn’t crowded! I’ve since discovered that this is a great time to visit Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket or any other tourist favorite.
Also the weather in September can feature some of the nicest days we get here in southern New England. I love summer but after a few 90 degree days (weeks?) a cool 55 degree morning feels fantastic. And it can still warm up to 80 in the afternoon.
I’m not jumping on the pumpkin spice bandwagon but I will admit it was nice to put on some jeans and a hoodie and sit around the campfire last night.
I’ve often felt (and it’s been written by others ) that September is more like the beginning of the year than New Year’s Day. First of all we start a new school year and all the clubs and groups that took the summer off are back. Scouts, choral groups and many other people activities all welcome people back. It’s the beginning of a new television season although the streaming world has changed that a bit. And let’s not forget football is back! I’ve mentioned before how much I love football and how we have a Sunday routine that runs from September to February.
Let’s not lose focus on how nice September is though. I actually appreciate how blue the sky is in September. I don’t really know if there is a difference but the haze is gone. The humidity lifts and the air just feels nicer. We’ve had the air conditioner off for a few days and I forgot how nice the breeze feels. My neighbor has some wind chimes hanging in a tree and I missed hearing them all summer as the windows were closed and the air conditioner hummed all night. It was so nice the other night to drift off to sleep hearing the chimes. If it’s really quiet I can hear the waves on the beach.
I’m sure it won’t be long before we have to scrape the ice off the windshield in the morning but for now I’ll just enjoy what is swiftly becoming one of my favorite months.
Catch up on other Sunday Columns by clicking here.
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