Not since I was child have I been sad to see summer end. By nature, I’m not a summer person. I dislike hot, humid weather. But this summer was unusual. June was quite warm, serving as a prelude for the coming heat. However, the uncomfortable, suffocating temperatures didn’t come. July and August were unusually cool and wet. That’s not to say it didn’t get hot on occasion, but those days were few and far between. We usually have several days of triple-digit temperatures at least once during the summer, but we never even made it to the century mark this year.
A few times during July and August, I turned the air conditioner off and opened up the house. If you’ve ever been in Kansas in the middle of the summer, you know how stifling it can be. It’s like sitting under a wet blanket out in the sun. Air conditioning is a must. So to be able to turn the A/C off and open up the house during what’s normally the hottest months of the year is highly unusual – and to do it more than once is unheard of!
Fall is my favorite season and I eagerly await its arrival after a long, hot summer, but to enjoy a summer such as the one we just had was so refreshing. It was like being in the Rocky Mountains! I talked to my brother, who lives in Colorado, several times this summer and he complained about how hot it was out there. Thanks to a dip in the jet-stream, we were enjoying their normal summer temperatures.
One of the benefits of having a cooler than normal summer is being able to get out and do yard work. Normally, I don’t get out in the yard at all during the summer months. This summer I was able to get out in the yard three times. It feels good to have a head start on the yard work I want to get done this fall. By the way, our grass usually dies at some point during the summer because of the heat and lack of moisture. We had green grass all summer long.
Another reason I hated to see summer come to an end is the availability of fresh garden produce. Several of my co-workers shared bounty from their gardens including tomatoes, zucchini, okra and sweet corn. I couldn’t help but grab several ears of sweet corn – and I picked up a couple of tomatoes for my mom.
Now that September is here, I can look forward to leaves turning color and crisp autumn temperatures. As I look back on the summer of 2009, I’ll be able to remember it as a pleasant season I actually enjoyed instead of being eternally grateful that it was finally over. The cool, wet conditions we were blessed with this summer should allow for some spectacular fall colors. I hope you had a pleasant summer and you’re looking forward to a fabulous fall.
photo: iStock.com/lakovKalinin