Of all the months of the year, I believe August is my favorite. There is a palpable change during this month that speaks quietly to those of us who are attuned to nature. Goldenrod and purple loosestrife begin to bloom along the roadside and in the fields. The hydrangeas which were small white blooms short weeks ago are now full, cream-colored flowers that fill your hands with their beauty.
Dawn is coming a bit later now, and the raucous birdsong of spring has been replaced by a quieter twittering here and there as the sun rises. The air seems heavier, somehow, and cicadas chirp, as if to announce that summer is half over. The long twilight of early summer is replaced by a swifter nightfall, one of deep quiet, as the birds settle into their roosts for the night and the lightning bugs sparkle in the heavy darkness.
My father always took his vacation in August, so I have many fond memories of the late summers of my childhood. When my children were young, August was the “last hurrah” of summer vacation — the time to make sure we did all of the things we had meant to do when the long weeks of summer first lay before us. Even today, it catches me a bit by surprise, as I try to fit in all that I haven’t done yet that I intended to — day trips here and there, special times with friends, a trip to the amusement park with my grandchildren.
The garden changes drastically this month. The delicate flowers of spring are long gone, the purple coneflowers are losing their brightness, and the Rose of Sharon blooms are dwindling down. The zinnias are beginning their late summer bloom, the herb garden is in its typical late summer frenzy, and soon the hydrangeas will turn a dusky rose color and will be ready to hang and dry for fall arrangements.
This is the month to slow down a bit, savor the sunshine, the flowers, and the delicious vegetables warm from the garden. This is the time to fry up a batch of zucchini fritters, feast on ears of sweet corn, and enjoy the simple, delectable tomato sliced and served on bread spread lightly with mayonnaise. This is the time to take walks in your neighborhood and really notice the beauty around you, and to watch the squirrels gathering nuts, and to sit on the porch and let night fall heavily upon you, as the katydids sing their song. This is the month to hold tight to summer, because in a heartbeat it will be gone again.
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