Endless Summer?

August is THE month on a farm. It contains the essence of each of the other months of the summer, while still being it’s own. We are still in full hustle mode, with weeds over out heads and as much pressure on all sides as there ever was at any time in the year. It’s muggy, stressful and everyone is ready to think about things other than farming. At the same time, the end of all the muggy stress is coming into view. It won’t be too much time now that we will put the seeders away, hang up the hoes, and let the chips fall where they may for the rest of the season. August is our last chance to make good on the year. But after that…whether good, bad, or ugly, we will live with it. If it’s in the bad or ugly category, well…we had our chance. It was called June.

I find it hard to be at this point in the season. I know in my logic brain that we still actually have a good hit of summer ahead of us. The days are still long enough and the warm weather is not headed anywhere quite yet. But if I could tack two Augusts to 2021, I would maybe do it. This last winter is just a little too stamped in the psyche this time around. For me it is anyway. Even though I am ready for a diminution of stress, I am not ready for even the faintest signaling of the end of summer. That one tree in the forest with a streak of yellow? No. Just…no.

So with that said, I will continue forward in a state of semi denial and with my summer mantra in mind: It is my responsibility this summer to absorb as much summer sun as possible for to radiate in the winter. I’ll stay in an endless summer state for as long as the days let me stay there. Maybe a little beyond that too.