You are a signal. A nudge.
A harbinger of urgency.
You beckon, Quick! Before it all slips away!
You arrive, and suddenly, the days that drip with sunshine are numbered.
And yet, summer's pull, that enticement that urges me to languish in time as the days lengthen, warm, and swell with a certain nectar of loveliness--seems to become more and more elusive as the years wax on. I am lost in my work, keen to fulfill my duties, programmed to stay on task.
And yet, I do feel the draw, the compulsion to heed August's warning. For in it, she reminds me:
...that summer used to mean wiling away the hours climbing the stories-tall pine tree at the side of the house, searching for the end of the world at the top of the branches, being mindful of the pine sap in every step, challenging myself to go two, maybe three branches farther than I did the day before, until my mama calls me in for tuna fish sandwiches, some cold grapes, potato chips, and graham crackers filled with vanilla frosting--chocolate if I'm really lucky.
...that summer used to mean long, hot days at the neighborhood pool. Diving for stuff. Playing trolls. Daring each other to jump off the high dive. Sharing a Dreamsicle afterwards. Eating it in the viewing stands up top, everything echoing, the noisy pool sounds warbling in our plugged-up ears, distorted and clangy. Halos around everything we look at with our itchy burning bloodshot red eyes, thinking, goggles are for sissies.
...that summer used to mean staying up late watching Johnny Carson with my dad. Popping popcorn and adding too much butter but just enough salt. Making Kool-Aid. Opening the windows wide in the hopes of a breeze. In the discernible background, the creek rushes by, there is a symphony of crickets, and big bugs crash against the front French windows in search of light. There is also laughter, and the knowledge that love is more true here than in extraordinary events.
...that summer used to mean campfires and marshmallows, book-reading marathons, and amusement park rides.
...band camps and drive-ins and night games with friends.
And even now, as the Dog Day's moon makes her way back to full, and those carefree days seem ever longer ago, I make August's list in an effort to capture a hint of that young, fun-loving girl:
- Pick blueberries until my fingers are purple
- Bake a pie, a buckle, and a crisp
- Visit the ocean, at least one more time
- Explore Boston for a day, or maybe even a weekend
- Read two more books
- Eat more lobster
- Pay my respects to Robert Frost
- Eat fresh basil and ripe, home-grown tomatoes until they're growing out of my ears
Perhaps the activities have changed over the years, and perhaps I often feel too busy to truly savor the magic that is summer, but August is calling me, and I best not keep her waiting.
How 'bout you? What are your must-do's this August, and what did summer used to mean to you?
Beautiful post, Cath! I hope we'll get some summer here finally! Summer used to mean to me visiting my Grandparents in Sicily, being spoiled with ice-cream for breakfast, eating huge slices of watermelon (my great-grand-dad used to say: good to appease thirst, good to appease hunger and good to wash your hands), eating figs warmed by the sun directly from the trees, staying at the beach all day long, impatiently waiting for my parents to finish their siesta during the hot midday hours, smelling the heavy fragrance of the jasmine bushes and lemon trees, hearing the loud snoring of my grandfather through the open windows - I could go on and on like this...
Now summer means to me: Enjoying time in our garden with that little wild girl of mine, playing hide and seek, eating ice-cream and fruits, jumping on the trampoline, harvesting the green beans and zucchini, cutting delicate sweet peas for our vases, hoping to see some fireflies in the night...
Summer can't be long enough for me! Thanks for sharing this, Cath, I enjoyed it very much! Vanessa x
Posted by: Vanessa Menhorn | August 02, 2011 at 03:46 AM
Summer use to mean playing all day with the neighborhood kids, riding bikes to the local pool, playing touch tag, picking fresh fruit off your trees, going camping or to the beach..or running thru the sprinklers :-)...Running after Ice Cream man, making popcorn and watching TV with my parents in the evenings, having bbques with family, vacations....Ooooh that was a trip down memory lane......now summer means taking the grandkids swimming, to Turtle Bay,playing with my flowers, and more crafting.. the heat bothers me more in my older age so if it gets over 100 I'm usually a pooper!!!
Posted by: Char | August 04, 2011 at 11:30 AM
"School's out" has to be the best part of summer! By the way, are we going to hear about your daughter's visit?
Posted by: jo | August 05, 2011 at 11:06 AM
Summer means fresh produce, especially here in Vermont. Peaches, corn, blueberries, tomatoes and more....my goal is to get berries and corn in the freezer before August is gone. Learning all about maple creemees since we've moved here.
Posted by: Kathy W | August 24, 2011 at 07:34 PM
Beautiful post, Cath. This summer certainly was different for me this year, but every day of my life will be different from now on. in the past, Summers always meant trips "out of hazy-hot-humid FL" and into New England for visits with family and friends....so enjoy the coast of ME and NH during August!
PS: Hope you didn't have any damage or major problems with Irene!
Posted by: Helen F. | August 29, 2011 at 07:56 PM
Now that August is over, did you get through your list? :-)
I loved your description of Summer as a child, it reminded me of my own Summers gone by.
Posted by: Michelle | September 02, 2011 at 07:19 PM