Summer almost over before it starts

Once tiger lillys have bloomed. school has started,
and many people are ready for fall.

These days, once the last Fourth of July fireworks have exploded, it seems summer is over, even though there are probably numerous 90-degree days ahead. 

Somehow, we've managed to nearly kill off half much of summer. It seems many people are anxious to end summer early, even before squirrel season opens.

Labor Day used to be the time we seriously began thinking about fall. Kids returned to school, football started, fishing picked up, and in a few weeks temperatures started to cool. 

After Labor Day weekend swimming pools and beaches closed. Now, during the hottest time of the summer, the pools close a month before Labor Day.

Schools start in early to mid-August, so there aren’t youngsters around to swim in the pools or at the beaches, or serve as lifeguards. 

A few year back while camping at Kentucky Lake in mid-August, the change related to summer really hit home. There were few people around the lake, especially in the parks and resorts. The only kids at midweek naturalist programs were out-of-state youngsters who still had a week or two of vacation before starting the fall semester.

I haven’t figured out the big rush to start school so early. Administrators say state regulations require more days in the classroom. Apparently, the kids need more study time and instruction so state test scores can be raised. 

This testing itself has me wondering about the process. More testing appeared to be a good idea, but now it seems as if the educational objective is on the tests with the teaching directed at passing the tests, and not broader learning. That’s another whole subject. It has nothing to do with the great outdoors and the early demise of summer.

With kids back in school early, some amusement parks, other recreational facilities, and summer theaters also end their seasons early. Many depend on youngsters as part of their work force.

High school football starts during some of the hottest time of the year. In Kentucky, if the heat index is above 104 degrees, games can’t be played. That makes sense, but when the first game wasn’t until after Labor Day there wasn’t a problem. However, cold at the other end of the schedule sometimes was an issue.

Today, when it is really hot, most of us want to sit next to the air conditioner, however during warm days and nights, there still is good opportunities for catfishing and casting a lure while wading a nearby stream.

Fall is a wonderful time of the year, but it will wait its turn. Whether it is Daylight Saving Time or the seasons, it seems everyone these days is always trying to rush everything. 

Remember those days as a youngster in late summer,, walking barefoot down a dusty path or playing outside after dark and catching fireflies.