|
In the past
I have had friends that I might have even considered as my best friend. As
time went by, sometimes we discovered that we might not have as much in
common as we thought we did. Also sometimes there are clashes in
personalities that can be tolerated for short periods of time but wear on
each other when there are extended periods of contact. Though we remained
friends, there was not the closeness that used to be in our relationship
and new relationships developed and strengthened as the older remained
there but subsided in importance.
Such is the
case with summer. I once considered summer to be my best friend of all the
seasons. That was back when I was in school and got out of school for the
summer. School and the homework associated with school was much too time
consuming and restrictive for my liking. Summer offered more variety of
things to do: time for play as well as work. There was time for spending a
week vacation at my grandparents’ house with some cousins, time for
fishing, time that could be spent playing in the woods along the creek
behind our house. My brothers and I have spent many a summer night
sleeping outside under the stars. We always had a 4th of July gathering at
my grandparents with all the aunts, uncles and cousins with grilled
hamburgers and homemade ice cream. Summer also offered an opportunity to
make a little spending money by hoeing cotton, hauling hay and mowing
yards.
There were
many chores that came along with summer back then. Our family always had a
large garden. It seemed that there was always hoeing or tilling to be
done. Then there were beans and peas to be picked and shelled, corn to be
shucked and many other vegetables to be picked, processed and canned. I’m
sure I would have rather been fishing than doing these things, but maybe
time has dulled my memory of what my attitude really was when I was
shelling those beans. I do know one thing for sure, we ate awfully well
from the things canned and put in the freezer out of that garden.
As time has
gone by, and without my realizing when, summer has ceased to be my
favorite time of the year. Other times of the year are now more appealing
and have more to offer me than summer. I would now claim fall as my
favorite time of the year. I enjoy the weather more with the cooler
temperatures and lower humidity. The nights are clearer and cooler and
long sleeves feel good to head off a slight chill. There is also football
season, my favorite sport, and the baseball playoffs and World Series.
Maybe those St. Louis Cardinals can get a shot at it again.
Fall is
also harvest time. The cotton fields are white, corn and bean fields have
the unique amber hue of plants whose job is done and ready to yield their
fruit. Mother Nature is rewarding the farmer for the planning, expense and
labor in putting in a crop. Spring calves are now ready to be carried to
the market. It’s payday from the land that we are stewards of.
Spring is
also a pleasant time of the year with the weather and land coming to life
and greening up. But I think fall is the most beautiful time when the
leaves turn to an array of colors not seen any other time of the year. It
could not be more fitting that hunting season coincides with the beauty of
the fall. This offers the perfect excuse for just being in the outdoors
and, at least in my mind, having a purpose for being there.
I realize
that summer is important and necessary. Where would we be without it? I’m
too old to be wishing any part of my life away; time passed too fast as it
is. But I’m looking forward to leaving summer behind. I have been hotter
and busier than I wanted to be, sweated more than I wanted to, and
infested with more bugs that I thought was possible.
My old
friend "Summer" understands this and seems to say "Hey, I’ve
had fun … you run along now … enjoy your fall … I’ll see you again
next year."
I hope so
too.
Darrell Thompson is the manager of Lawrence County Exchange in Moulton.
|
