As I write this, September is winding down. Or up. Well, it's going somewhere; it's just not staying around. And I'll miss it dearly.
Due to staggered deadlines and copy volume, I'll write this in September, but you'll read this in October. Then maybe you'll reflect on it in November, and by the time December rolls around, you'll be longing for those crazy, lazy days of...oops, wrong song.
As I was trying to get creative about this column, I turned to "google" (you may have heard of it) for songs with September in their title. I found twenty, actually, and selected one for my title. So if you ever want me to serenade you some night, I will pick up the phone and ...oh forget it.
My simple point is that I love September, even when it snows and blows like it has repeatedly over these past couple of weeks (at least when I was in Edmonton and Red Deer, respectively). As I write this in the early morning, it looks too cold to head outside and do some work around the property. So maybe a crummy day in September isn't all that bad...
Here's why I like September:
1. those long hot days of July and August are gone. While I don't buy into the confusion about global warming (that comment alone would take at least two columns), I admit we have had some hot spells recently, though no hotter than usual.
I find it easier to put on something to warm up, than try to take something off to cool down. So I don't miss that.
2. it's the space between unbearably hot days and unreasonably cold ones. I sort of dealt with this already, but this comment is comparing fall with winter, not to itself. Winter has the exclusive rights to icy roads, cars that won't start, snowy sidewalks, and a wind that shoots right through you.
At least September generally doesn't slap you in the face like , say, December does--unless it was a rare September in Central Alberta that we just had. W#e still had "snow" in "September," nonetheless. Those two words should never be in the same sentence.
That's like having "winners" and "Calgary Flames" in the same sentence.
3. summer-type chores are done and winter ones haven't started. I have never pretended to be a farmer-rancher guy, and I'm still not. I am, however, a responsible guy (but not in the sense of "wherever there's trouble, I'm responsible"), so I do my work, and actually feel good about it.
However, enough is enough, and September is a nice window of "irresponsibility" in the right sense.
4. hockey season is upon us. No Canuck jokes please—or is that redundant? It feels so naturally Canadian to listen to and watch games for the next nine months or so. Nothing beats Hockey Night in Canada, no matter what team or what night.
5. my main business hasn't quite kicked into full gear yet, this time around. In this corner of the world, my wife and I check up on and encourage those that have chosen the option of home education. We really don't start this term until the first week of October, though we did make a few visits already.
6. in a school setting, everyone and everything is still fresh and eager. "Nuff said.
7. it's the best time to go on holidays. We just returned from a few days away and it was wonderful. The weather was great, and the crowds were down. This trend could actually last until the first week of October, and it might be just as good weather, even fewer crowds, and lower prices. But that doesn't fit into the "September" theme of this column.
For me, #7 is the best thing about September, and the previous six are tied for second place.
I'm already counting the months till September 2019 comes around.
