seasons – An Old Man's Thoughts, Memories, & Opinions

Summer seems to be rapidly approaching. While one expects showers in April, it seems that this year they are interspersed with days nearing the 90’s. This seems a bit unusual to me but maybe that is only because of childhood memories.

Growing up in a small grain-farming community, I remember summer always beginning in mid-May. This wasn’t because of a date on the calendar or because of a meteorological event but instead because it was the end of the school year. For a few weeks, we no longer needed to worry about lessons or exams but could instead spend our days playing with friends and neighbors. Important things were whether our bicycles had flat tires, or which sandbox we would use, or who we would visit.

In the evenings we might sit on the porch with our parents or grandparents listening to a baseball game on the radio or play in the yard while the “old folks” did that. We also helped in the garden since fresh produce was a part of life. On really special evenings we might have a treat like homemade ice cream over a fresh baked pie. Because our town was so small we didn’t have some of the things that “city kids” could enjoy, like swimming pools or large parks and playgrounds, but summer was still a fun time.

That changed a bit when I was about eleven or twelve and started mowing yards to earn a bit of “spending” money. The time for “kids” play was a bit less but it was still summer, and school was still not important, at least for those few weeks between the school years.

Things changed even more by my mid-teens when summers meant getting a job. In a small town like my home there were few opportunities and most summer work was on the local farms. The two busiest times were right after the school year ended and, unfortunately, a few weeks after the next school year began. Like others, I spent parts of many summers working on the farms – preparing fields for planting, helping plant crops, and other tasks. There were many long days in the hot sun (no air-conditioned tractors in those days) or doing other work. This even continued through my college years.

Even though the summer days seem much hotter now, summer is still a nice season, but I enjoy spring and fall, or autumn, much more. I hope you have good memories of the summers of your youth and enjoy them now and in the future.

I’m almost afraid to post this because if I do there may be one of those rare, but possible, late season snowstorms that will drop a few inches of snow and ice on mid-America. But rather than plan on the unexpected, I will trust Mother Nature to help us through this season of change with the many challenges and the beauty it brings.

When I look outside this morning, it appears that Spring has sprung. The trees are starting to discard the last few remaining brown leaves from last year and replace them with bright green foliage. The blossoms from the early bloomers have come and gone, replaced by colors of new flowers and trees becoming more abundant. Tulips and daffodils seem to be everywhere with their bright hues covering gardens and lawns where they grow whether tended by homeowners or in wild spaces where planted by gardeners in the past.

The rains and storms that come along with the changing seasons are here in force. Flooding, high winds, and hail seem to be highlighted daily by the weather forecasters. Farmers are challenged to plant this year’s crops to feed the nation. River levees can sometimes handle the extra water and at other times lose the battle against Mother Nature.

Some see Spring as a wonderful time of the year as cold weather departs, either for days or weeks at a time. Others see Spring as a sad time as cool days and nights give way to the heat of the coming Summer. For all, it is a time of change. In many cases it is a time of birth for our wild friends. For others it is a time of breeding with young to enter our world in a few weeks or months. We see migrating birds in their bright colors. We welcome the return of other colors as we are visited by butterflies and hummingbirds.

Alas, it is also the time that brings more work. Things like lawns that must be tended after lying dormant through the colder months. Potholes that must be filled to repair the damage caused by both colder weather and the storms of spring. We must prepare our gardens to grow both vegetables for our enjoyment or flowers needing replanting each year.

It is a time to share with those who are still with us and hope that they will see many more Springs and a time to remember those who are not with us to welcome the new season or year.

I hope you will join me in welcoming the Spring. And for those who dislike the heat of the coming season, remember that the softer days of Autumn and the colder days of Winter are not too far away.