It just doesn’t seem possible but as I gaze out my window the signs are most definitely there.
The leaves are starting to change colour and many are already giving up on life and dropping to the ground. The air is beginning to cool and on many nights already we’ve needed to wear coats to keep warm.It’s comical how in the spring when the temperature reaches 15 degrees we’re walking around in shorts and t-shirts remarking about how warm it is. Yet at this time of year we struggle to stay comfortable and some will even slip into their winter coats. I guess that’s what they mean by being acclimatized.
When I visit Florida in the winter I see the same thing. I’ll leave temperatures of minus 20 here and arrive there where it’s 40 degrees warmer yet I’ll be walking around in shorts and a tank top while the locals are bundled up from head to toe. I dare say anyone who has never left Florida in their lifetime that really wanted a shock should visit the Great White North in February.
I was asked one time by a Floridian several years ago, “How cold does it get in Canada?” My response was, “Have you ever walked outside and had your snot freeze?”
Please pardon the graphic description but my thesaurus didn’t have an alternate suggestion for the word “snot.” Needless to say he was shocked and in disbelief. I actually would have described it to him in a much nicer fashion except he had aggravated the hell out of me prior to that by calling me “hoser” and saying “eh” more than a few times. Of course in most cases that wonderful look is actually caused by our breathing.Of course I’m not complaining about the summer we had. Sure we had a stretch or two of some very humid conditions where it felt like it was over 100F but it was a much drier summer than last year and for the most part very comfortable.
I was working steady all summer which was a good thing but when I did have some free time, there were a few things that made this past summer quite enjoyable. I can’t speak for other parts of the country or continent but the corn crop this year was spectacular. I went for a drive along some roads next to corn fields and the plants were eight to ten feet high in some spots. And boy did it taste good. I don’t like to make a pig of myself but there’s nothing like fresh corn on the cob to complete a meal.
The water of Lake Ontario was not only the cleanest I’ve seen it in years but warm as well and I managed to slip into my Speedo and dunk my ample physique into the waters a few times while at my parent’s trailer.
Speaking of the trailer, something I’ve done every year since I was born was spend time at the trailer. The relaxation and social aspects are especially agreeable but for me the best part is sitting next to a campfire with family and friends and peering skyward to scan the millions of stars that reveal themselves.
You can feel quite insignificant after taking in that view. The International Space Station made several passes as well and there are always satellites to be spotted as they circumnavigate the earth. This summer we were also treated to one of the better meteor showers of recent memory and enjoyed watching these hunks of space rock burn up and leave trails as they raced across the heavens.It was a good summer with no major storms or tornadoes like last year. I had one bolt of lightning come very close to me at work one afternoon that forced me to change my underwear but beyond that Mother Nature seemed to take pity on our part of the world.
So with summer winding down I now have to start getting prepared for the unknown as winter approaches. Last year we were blessed with only a couple of significant snowfalls as the worst stayed to the south but I’ll have the snow blower tuned up and full of gas in anticipation of the inevitable. Now I just need to go buy some long-johns and dig out my balaclava to truly be prepared.
