Seasons in the Sun

Three days, including today, left in July. August starts Wednesday. Target has its back to school section ready and filled. Old Navy has had its first Fleece Sale.  Pumpkin patches and fall festivals are already advertising their starting dates.  Autumn can’t be far behind.

Two more signals of fall’s imminent return are Musikfest and the Allentown Fair. Both are only days or weeks away.  This summer, like most summers, is flying by. Actually, most seasons, months, weeks, and days are flying by as well.  SLOW DOWN TIME. PLEASE.

Summer is my favorite season.  I like the heat and humidity (as long as I can easily get out of it).  I like the idea of shorts, t-shirts, and no socks. I love the long hours of sunlight, the 5am sunrise and the 9pm sunset.  The summer vibe is chill. The summer colors are yellow and green.  I also like the fact that slippery roads are almost non-existent.

For a lot of people, fall is their favorite. I get it. It does have its charm.  The cooler temperatures prevail. The colors of orange, red,  and yellow dominate. There is a certain musty, but good, smell in the fall air. Football is in full swing! Halloween, Thanksgiving, and pumpkin spice.  Better, meaning more thought provoking and less action packed, movies start to appear.

I’m skipping winter and putting in a third place vote for spring. Spring is a lot of people’s favorite because it means the end of winter.  Yes!  But it is also the most colorful season…pinks, yellows, purples, blues.  The time change to Daylight Saving Time occurs in spring, as does April showers bringing us May flowers.  May babies are born in spring. May babies are the best!  Spring makes you want to start things. You may not finish them, but starting is at least something.  In the Lehigh Valley, spring seems to be a disappearing season. Every year lately it seems we go from winter to summer.

Finally, earning my last place vote, is winter.  Cold, dark, and isolating.  Slippery roads. Go to work in the dark, come home in the dark. Blah.  Like John Denver sang: “It’s cold and it’s getting colder, gray and white and winter all around, and oh, I must be getting older, all this snow is starting to get me down.”  Some of you are going to say about winter…but Christmas! Once your kids no longer believe in Santa, it loses some of its charm. The charm that is left is not enough to move winter from the bottom of my list!

So, there is my take on the seasons. You may all have a different order of favorites.  The best thing is that we are still around to experience all four. Or if you live in Florida, three of them.  My wish is to see many, many more season changes. So, time…..please slow down!