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Hello August! August from a French Calendar

When I think of August, I can’t help but think about the weather. We’re certainly having plenty of that already across our nation right now with monsoons here in the east, tornadoes in the mid-west, and draughts in the west so severe the forests have become a tinderbox for fires. Hurricanes are revving up off the coast of Africa and will soon be on their way to the Caribbean and North American continent. We’ve already had a few that have decimated Puerto Rico and Haiti. So much for the carefree life living on an island. And it’s HOT!—just in case no one’s noticed. Since we have so much moisture here in the southeast and heat retains moisture, we have those hot, humid days when your only hope for comfort is to sit in front of an air conditioner and dream of autumn breezes and high pressure atmosphere to revive our lagging energy.

August is also the last month for kids to enjoy the freedom of no school. As a kid I liked being able to stay up late and laze around reading and day dreaming. In my early childhood it was a great time for the neighborhood kids to get together and play and to go exploring in the woods. We built teepees beside the creek and waded around in the water to get cool. We built dams out of sticks and rocks to make the water deeper so we could luxuriate sitting in it. In my teen years after we got a TV, I liked to watch the late show with those old black and white movies from the 1930’s and 40’s. I loved the satin dresses and how men wore suits and fedoras. I loved Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire in those big musical productions. I also liked the late hours of the night to write when my creative juices were freely flowing.

The family spent a great many meals either in the dining room with all the windows open or outside where the oppressive heat of the kitchen was dispelled to a degree by an occasional breeze. August is a mélange of good times and extreme weather mixed with the joy of freedom and the wicked pleasure of indolence.

What memories do you hold dear from the month of August? Was it your favorite month or your least favorite month of the year? Were you beginning to look forward to going back to school or dreading it? What was the activity you liked best in August?


Posted by Sarah J. McNeal at 6:12 AM