You may not agree...but let's
consider. You may well believe that New
Years' Eve is ~ the beginnings of hopes and plans for the incoming twelve
months.
You may believe that December is
with its glorious Christmas decorations, colouful trees, carols, gifts, family celebrations...and hopefully snow on
the evergreens and icicles hanging from rooftops. For you, it may be your
Birthday, Wedding Anniversary, Mothers' Day or Father' Day.
For me, August is a
month of Renewal (in addition to New Years' Day).
It is mid-summer when children and teens are on holiday
schedule.
It is the contemplation of a new school year for the entire
family.
It is time to experience new teachers, staff and in-class
students.
It is time for parents to revamp their schedules to the best
of their abilities.
August spells the end of summer ~ introducing the onset of
Autumn in September.
It is two months to November's Remembrance Day and six weeks
later to the Joys of Christmas!
August not
Rare...But Relish it anyway!
Paul Wilson, a
journalist with the Hamilton Spectator
comments about August
and asks,
What's not to love
about an odd confluence of Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays?
Somebody forwarded me an email
the other day that said 'August arriving on Friday is a rare one'!
That's because August, 2014
has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays (according to Snopes). They say this occurs only once every 823
years (the email said). The Chinese call
it 'silver pockets full'...so send this to all your friends and in four days,
you will have a pleasant monetary surprise.
In fact, there's going to be
another August just like this one 11 years from now. And another 6 years after that. So, delete that miracle from your inbox.
I know there are teachers who
absolutely dread the month of August.
Their summer vacation soon ends...the countdown is under way. Looming ahead were school classes again!
That's a shame, because August
is a fine month, and not just because of
the fresh-from-the-field butter-drenched peaches-and-cream
corn-on-the-cob. August is Panini Month...and Win With Civility
Month...and National Goat Cheese Month.
We can all celebrate those...and on August 13, a full 10% of us can mark International Lefthanders' Day.
They say you should witness a
sunrise at least once a year and August is a fine time to do that. On June 20, the day before summer solstice,
Marnie and I rose early, drove out to the Beach Strip and watched the black
eastern sky go pink. It was spectacular,
but that morning the sun came up at 5:39 a.m. and you want to be out there a
half-hour before the sun cracks the horizon.
Catch your sunrise in late August...and it's a full hour later. Lots of time for a Horton's stop en route to
the Strip.
August is a fine time to eat
out. On Wilson, just east of James,
there's a restaurant called August 8.
Eighth day of the eighth month is as lucky as they come, hence the name. Dim sum and sushi are big here, but I can
personally vouch for the dumplings ~ steamed or pan fried.
August is a great month for
birthdays. If you happen to have been born on August 8 and
go to the above-mentioned restaurant on that day, you eat free. (They have three other locations, so you can
really bust that belly.)
Barack Obama is an August
baby...and Fidel Castro...and Madonna...and Sidney Crosby...and mega-director
James Cameron who was born in Kapuskasing in Northern Ontario 60 years ago this
August 16th. (Just a few days
earlier, Hamilton's most energetic historian/dissident also turns 60. Too bad he hates birthdays.)
August brings The Ex. I worked
the midway there in the early 70's and the smell of candy floss still snaps me
back in an instant...(this being the Canadian National Exhibition). August is
Festival of Friends, too, but I've just never had the courage to go since it
left Gage Park for a treeless plain on the edge of town.
If nothing else, August is the
month to get serious about summer. And I
know I need to get cracking. It is
always my goal to plunge into as many bodies of water as possible. So far this
summer, I've done Lake Erie at Long Point.
But Lake Ontario, Lake Huron and Niagara's Chippawa Creek are also
personal musts! Swim now! Labour Day looms!
Paul Wilson's column
appears Tuesdays in the Hamilton Spectator.
I commend Paul for his views on August and I trust you
readers of this article found it enlightening and delightful. I would suggest that he contact Analiese Carr
who recently swam across Lake Erie. Her
plan had been to swim its lengthiest width of some 70 plus kilometres but due
to the
night storm over the lake, she had to cut short her distance. She does plan to swim the completion of her
initial goal, so here you are, Paul, join her swim at Long Beach and direct her
to Port Dover...her intended destination!
Merle
Baird-Kerr...scripted July 31, 2014
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