A Farewell to Summer

Well, it's officially over. Summer, that is. Today at 3:44 p.m., we say goodbye until June 21, 2009 at 5:45 a.m.

Of course, for students and teachers, summer ended nearly a month ago, when the first bell rang on the first day of the new school year. And their anticipation (or perhaps, dread) of that day began sometime in July when the first back-to-school commercials hit the airwaves. Before you know it, those ads will start in mid-June, as soon as the school year ends, kind of like the way Christmas ads begin around Halloween.

And for those who spend their summers, or a good deal of them, poolside, summer ended officially the Tuesday after Labor Day weekend when the pools closed down for the winter months. Never mind that there will still be plenty of days warm enough for a dip in the water...the lifeguards had to get back to school.

And for those who work year round, with only a number of weeks of vacation to last them the whole year, summer is air-conditioning season. They'll know it's not summer anymore when the building's temperature control system switches over to the furnace, especially on those unusually hot days of Indian summer when there's no AC to be had and no windows in the cubicle to open.

For those of us who prefer the more temperate climes of fall and spring to the humid scorchers of mid-summer, it's not such a sad goodbye. Sure, I'll miss going barefoot in the grass, wearing sleeveless shirts and open-toe sandals, doing my morning pages on the front porch, and eating fresh watermelon, strawberries, corn, and tomatoes. But I won't miss mowing the lawn or 90 degree days with 90% humidity.

To those who live for three months in the middle of the year, here's a little reminder of the joys of the other three seasons: in the fall, the changing leaves against a backdrop of blue skies, temperatures in the 70's, and a new fall line-up instead of endless reruns; in the winter, snow days, down comforters, and snuggling up in front of a warm fire; and in the spring, a rainbow of colorful blossoms, cleansing April showers, and (if you're lucky) spring break.

So be sure to dedicate a few moments today to a last hurrah for Summer, whether it be savoring a soft-serve ice cream cone, swinging at the playground, or sneaking outside when nobody's watching for a ten-minute break.

And remember, it's not really good-bye -- it's just so long for now.

Out of the Mouths of Pit Bulls...

I watched the big speeches of the Democratic Convention last week -- Hillary, (missed Bill for yoga class), Joe Biden, and Obama -- so I thought it was only fair to give the Republican Convention equal time this week. Although I missed Tuesday night's speakers, I tuned in for Guiliani (on the radio as I drove home from yoga), the surprise VP candidate Sarah Palin, and McCain. What follow are a few moments from this week's coverage that stuck with me.

1) Guiliani's dig at the Democrats (or one of many). He took them to task for not mentioning the words "Islamic Terrorists" all week at their convention and mocked them for trying to do what he termed "the politically correct thing." He then went on to wonder out loud what was so bad about calling a spade a spade, since surely the Terrorists deserve that label. (Clue: No, Rudy, I think it has more to do with implying that the whole nation of Islam is comprised of radical terrorists...)

2) "Drill, baby, drill!" The delegates repeated this chant throughout Palin's speech on Wednesday night. What the heck? Screw the environment -- even though it's been widely acknowledged that drilling more won't have any effect on the ridiculously high gas prices at all for at least ten years -- let's drill. So much for conserving our natural resources for future generations. Let's just rape and pillage mother Earth for the immediate gratification of our own selfish needs.

3) Palin's tag line (not at all ad-libbed): "What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick." Ha ha. Honestly, after 8 years of Dick Cheney occupying the Vice Presidency, I really don't want another pit bull in that position. I'd be content with a Collie (Lassie would do) or a Saint Bernard, or at most, a German shepherd.

With an all-star line-up of pit bulls preceding him on stage, McCain was able to take a bit more of the high road last night, and I acknowledge him for that. I'd take him over Giuliani any day. But I still prefer the other candidate's message of change.

I just hope that we won't let our junior high instincts take over (see May 19 entry) when we go to the polls in November. I hope we will remember that this is more than a popularity contest -- the war hero vs. the celebrity, the old white guy vs. the young African-American, the pragmatist vs. the idealist. I hope that, in the end, we will make this a contest that is more about issues than personalities.