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?
Diverse
stories filled with heart
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