The calendar turned to August this week and I noticed some posts on social media from friends who don’t like this month. I guess I can see their point.
When the children were younger, Priscilla and I used to plan our summer vacation for the last week before school began. We did that for a few of reasons. Number one we felt that Santa’s Village and Storyland wouldn’t be so busy by the third week in August because we felt that most people would have already gone. Number two the kids were usually ready for a break after being with each other for six or seven weeks. And number three, we could hold it over their heads all summer. “Keep it up and we’ll cancel the trip!”
I would also plan to take two weeks off so I would look forward to the two weeks that I didn’t have to wake up at 4 a.m. to do the radio show. I discovered what a great feeling that was when you got to that Sunday night after the first week and you didn’t have that usual dreadful feeling that you had to go back to work. Haha! I’ve got another week!
I’m away on vacation
While I was at work for the first two weeks of August it was sometimes difficult to connect with people. So many were either on vacation or they were in summer mode and it was so difficult to get anyone to return your calls.
I don’t mind August now. Retirement has that effect on people but I can understand how it’s not a happy time for some.
I don’t get a Sunday paper anymore so I don’t see all the flyers but I know the back-to-school sales are underway. I remember being bummed out when I was a kid because August meant school was coming. It’s also true that some teachers may get the blues because their summer vacation is winding down.
August used to bring the end of the travel softball season. The girls had tournaments starting in June and running just about every weekend through July. We always seemed to do one more at the beginning of August and then that was it. Suddenly the players and parents you saw every week seemed to drift away a bit. There would be the tryouts for next year and then you would have some time off until the batting cages started in the winter.
There’s still plenty of summer left
However, if you think about it, August still has a few things going for it. You still have some great summer weather. This year the heatwave seemed to break this first week of the month but there are still plenty of beach days.
I get a relaxed vibe too when I think about August. Things still feel kind of laid back until everyone is back to their routines after Labor Day.
As I said, the theme parks don’t appear to be as crowded in August.
The corn-on-the-cob is at its best I think.
For those that love the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament (aka “The Feast”), that’s always the first weekend in August.
If the Red Sox are having a disappointing season you can get excited with preseason football.
This year the full moon was awesome and we’ll have another on the 31st. It’s called a Supermoon because it’s closer to earth than normal and it’s called a blue moon not because it’s blue but because there are two in the same month. “It only happens once in a blue moon.”
I used to joke that by August the water in Maine was finally warm enough to swim in.
One of the downsides to August is that the sun starts setting earlier. Friday was the last 8 p.m. sunset for this year. We lose a minute or two of daylight every day. By the end of the month the sun sets around 7:20 p.m., still not bad but it does get earlier.
It never fails, almost every year when August 1st rolls around someone will say, “Where did the summer go?” Strange how we never say that about winter huh? Someone remind me in March to write that. “Winter’s over already? Where did it go?”
Enjoy it while you can
I hope you have a chance to still enjoy what’s left of summer. After all, the Farmer’s Almanac is already predicting a snowy winter. Let’s hold on to what we got for as long as we can.
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