It’s the last official crack at summer and the annual lament of “how fast did the last two months go anyway?” across these parts.
And I echo that lament after a whirlwind summer that turned out to be old school as far as sunshine and lack of precipitation.
It was an old-fashioned Okanagan summer and hopefully you got out there and enjoyed it, although September in these parts is usually almost as good, and without the heat which means better in some people’s books.
But I have a confession to make.
I’m OK with the onset of September.
Now that might sound almost sacrilegious in these parts, and I don’t mean I didn’t enjoy summer, especially the holidays part, but I actually think I’m ready for a little more routine in my life.
Although if I’m going to be perfectly honest I’m probably not what you would call a guy who lives for summer anyway.
I mean I’m OK at it. I do camp a little, hit the beach the odd time, usually without actually hitting the water however, and I long ago gave up on trying to get a tan.
I don’t really have the body for it anymore, yeah, like I ever did, and my skin, alas, has a tendency to burn more than tan. It could be that Norwegian/English/Scottish heritage thing, I don’t know.
If I don’t wear a baseball hat while out in the sun for more than 16.7 minutes my bald spot turns into a red spot which turns into….
Well anyway you get my drift.
And, another thing, September is one of my favourite times of the year.
It used to mean minor hockey was starting but for the first time in 17 years it doesn’t mean that anymore for yours truly.
Heavy sigh.
Of course it means no more 6 a.m. practices or every weekend dominated by having two sons in the sport, but it was also a major part of our social network as you see friends and family on an ongoing basis in the rink and at the coffee shops and, especially on road trips, so it’s so easy to stay in touch and connected…
I’m slowly adjusting to that reality and my wife says I have to get my own life back, and she’s right, but that’s going to take some work on my part.
Instead of making sure my kids were active and happy and well adjusted, I’m going to have to look in the mirror a little bit more, with my baseball hat on of course.
I guess I could do more now without minor hockey in my life.
Like I said I have way more time on my hands now this month and the weather is almost always ideal in September.
We could never go camping before at this time of year, due to rep tryouts and such, so that door just opened.
And we can have campfires and maybe actually get a site at Mabel Lake on a Friday night.
A little cooler at night for sure and you might have to bundle up while boating a bit and swimming is likely out, but like I said I don’t actually go in the water that much anyway, especially at Mabel.
Plus there’s golfing. Back in the day I actually could hit it straight and if I actually got out more than five times a year I might be able to get my swing back.
And then there’s that running course I enjoyed, well, quite a few years ago.
Although not necessarily my favourite activity, I found in a group environment, with the inherent encouragement and accountability and teamwork that involves, it was quite OK and I actually finished a 10K, while almost running the whole time.
So really it may be the end of an era in my life but it could be the dawning of a new, exciting one, if I only get off my butt and do it.
I figure the odds are 50/50 at this point but, hey, bring on September and so long summer.
