Summer Long

Its the middle of August and all of you out there who prefer to consider your lives cursed instead of fueled by the anticipation of new things, problematic instead of adventurous and would rather wallow in the morbid allure of decay than the sweet song of beginnings are already yammering on about how summer is over. Don't talk to me anymore.
You are the same people, who in March when the temperature hit seven degrees, complained that the streets were too slushy and in April, when the gardens of the city were gearing up for an explosive assault on our senses, thought that summer would never get here.

I know what you suffer from. Back-to-schoolitis. It begins with a sickly, sweet melancholy causing all sorts of mooning and sighing, long looks out over the lake and endless evenings in the back yard refusing to come in, long after dark. Of course it ends with an unsteady upheaval of emotions cured only by a shopping spree for new clothes, calendars, pencil sets, calculators and binders full of pristinely empty three hole paper; the reward for having your summer cut short and being forced back to the classroom when its still hot and the bugs have finally left us alone. You are not in school anymore, though, so pass on your disappointment to your kids and enjoy the next couple of months. Don't worry, I have a source in the weather office that assures me that it probably won't snow until December.

Consider this. When you see the construction crews, that have been making your life miserable for the last eight weeks, pack up and pave over the enormous holes in front of your house, you'll know summer's gone. When your neighbor gives up his Speedo and stops sunbathing in the front yard you'll know summer is over. When your weekend consists of going store to store to find the sold-out leaf bags you'll be well on your way to kissing summer good-bye. Just about the time you start patting yourself on the back for not taking down the Christmas lights from last year is the time you can pause and think, "I guess its over for another year." But not until then. We've got a long way to go yet and the only people who should be complaining about summer being over are getting ready to go back to school. Better them than me. I still have camping trips to plan, friends to visit and backyard bar-b-q's to enjoy, all of them without any kids in attendance. Don't you kids be late for class.