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Are you sick of me yet? I don’t quite know why I had so many blogs scheduled over the past few weeks—we sign up for days, so I did it, but I am not sure what I was thinking.
Oh—maybe that by now, The Sleeping Night would be getting some traction. The long tail model of selling books is a new one for me, 
and I’m not always sure about timetables. The book is is garnering lovely reviews, and I’m very proud of it. Bell Bridge Books has done a beautiful job on the package, and I was delighted to sign copies for some of you in Anaheim.
I can’t remember what I thought I’d say about the same book, over and over again. Instead of The Sleeping Night, which actually does take place in the summertime, today I’m talking about the dog days of summer, because we’re all dragging through the last, searing days, aren’t we?
It’s been a crazy weather summer! HOT, HOT, HOT, except where it wasn’t. Practically every single one of us who went to RWA were astonished at the light cool air in Anaheim. It was heaven.
My garden struggled a lot for awhile, and the corn is still only waist high, though finally it IS waist high, and finally the squash plants are taking off. (NOT summer squash, in which we drowned last summer, but nice, storable acorn and butternut squashes.) It is possible there will be tomatoes, at last, as long as the frost doesn’t come too early.
But mostly what needs doing in the garden through this period is weeding and more weeding and deadheading, and more weeding, and waiting. The peas and lettuces are gone, the cucumbers and corn are not yet ripe. I take a few beans from the vines now and then to keep them producing well, but mainly those crops are for drying.
When I was a young woman, August always seemed like a month I had to wade through, lying beneath a swamp cooler in the much-hotter city of Pueblo when I was in college. It always seemed like I’d have a break up in July, so there was no guy around to help pass the time. Then I married and had a baby in August, and never was alone again, but as the children grew, it seemed we were always waiting for school to start, for the heat to break, for something to happen.
Life is too short to waste a whole month looking forward and not enjoying the now, so I’m putting my focus on really enjoying what August IS this month. It’s sunny and hot and the evenings are incredible in Colorado. Going to the mountains in August is an absolute delight. The garden IS coming along, and the CSA is sending fresh peaches every week. The hours of sunlight are long and productive, and we can eat salads all day long every day. Soon enough, the children won’t be dancing in pools around the neighborhood. Soon enough we’ll have to put on sweaters. But today, I’m barefoot and there’s a breeze coming in the window, smelling of grass and pine trees, and the beverage at my elbow is ice water stuffed with lemon slices and fresh mint from the garden.
All is well.
What are your favorite things about August? Least favorite things? Are you looking forward to autumn, or do you like to hang on to summer as long as possible?
53 Comments on “Dog Days of Summer”
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I can’t wait for August to be over, here August means still another month of cold (and sometimes windy) weather of winter and as a summer person I really hate the cold. August also means that the jasmine is about to bloom and if it isn’t too cool then there’s baby plovers running about being nuts. I like to hold on to summer as long as possible because I really hate being cold but then again if New Guy and I get a place with a fireplace we are set for next winter.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 5:29 am.
Oh, I can’t tell you how great a fireplace and a raging storm sound right now.
Jasmine! What a glorious fragrance! I’d love to be anticipating something like that.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 12:43 pm.
I am also one who usually looks forward to the end of August. When I was a kid we didn’t have air (who did?) so August was spent sweltering, hiding in the basement and sleeping on the screened porch.
I’ve also spent a lot of Augusts counting the days until school started. We always joked that the neighborhood would be full of naked street dancing moms the day after labor day. Though I never saw one.
One thing I do enjoy in August are the fairs. Just went to our State Fair yesterday. Also the sweet corn. And school shopping.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 7:50 am.
I don’t have air now and we definitely hide in the basement.
When I was a child, I don’t remember it being as hot as this, but I could be wrong. We were probably playing in swimming pools, running through the sprinklers, things like that!
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 12:44 pm.
The one thing I do enjoy about August is my birthday which happens to be today. Then I have a brother who’s birthday is a couple of weeks after mine. The one thing I don’t enjoy about August is living in Florida and having to deal with the humidity. I used to want to rush through August too to get to September when the temps start cooling off but I’ve learned to enjoy this last month of really intense heat.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 7:53 am.
Happy birthday Aida! I hope that God totally blesses you and that you are spoiled rotten.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 8:45 am.
I hope you enjoy your day, Aida! Happy Birthday!
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 9:01 am.
Enjoy your special day, Aida, and may you be blessed with many more. Happy Birthday!
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 9:52 am.
Happy birthday, Aida!
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 11:03 am.
Hey, very happy birthday, Aida! My son’s birthday was yesterday. That was a fun August.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 12:44 pm.
When I was younger I always dreaded August. The month always seemed to fly by, and the end of August always ment, school. Now, August is not so bad. I look forward to it. I am a mom now, so the end of August means that school is just around the corner. Yay! Although, I do dread back to school shopping. I am now the mother of a very picky 8 year old, so shopping tends to be more time consuming then it used to.
I love the cool nights of August. It doesn’t matter how hot the day gets, the nights are always so nice. August always signals the start of the Toronto CNE (like a state fair). When I was younger we always made a trip to the CNE, and it is a tradition that I have started with my kids.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 8:05 am.
Amy, I grew up in Michigan and a trip to the CNE was one of our August traditions too! I haven’t been there in years (live in the SE United States now)but I have wonderful memories of August in Toronto. Hope you and your family enjoy!
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 8:59 am.
The State Fair ritual is always fun, for sure.
I used to dread school shopping with my boys. They were picky, too, and it was impossible to get everything–plus my big payday always seemed to be later than the deadline for the supplies. It was a juggling act back when they were young!
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 12:46 pm.
Some of my favorite things about August are the county and state fairs, and looking forward to the start of football season!It is a hibernation time for me though. July and August are very hot and humid here in NC, so I am inside a lot. That is a downer for me. I don’t mind summer, but I always look forward to autumn. Cooler temperatures, blooming camellias, and the blanket of colors that the deciduous trees provide always brings a smile to my face.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 9:17 am.
Fall really is a fantastic time of year, almost everywhere. I didn’t know camellias bloomed in the fall, though! Cool.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 12:47 pm.
August signals the garden to go into hyperdrive. We set a chair at the end of the driveway for free cucumbers. I always plant too many of them. The tomatoes I eat like candy so there are never more to share. I just had someone give me 14 heirloom tomato plants (I already have 10 producing right now). I am putting them in the ground just to see what will happen here in SW Ohio. We won’t have frost until Halloween so we may get a few tomatoes.
I love autumn and can’t wait to decorate with pumpkins and corn stalks. Second only to my love for shoes is my love for all sweaters. It is also the start of football season and my Packers will be playing!
Love the photo in your blog.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 9:24 am.
My garden is about to go into hyperdrive, too. (Love that phrase!) The peaches are my excitement. Can’t wait to see how they fare.
You might as well experiment, right? I am going to start some potatoes, plus some more peas and cool weather plants.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 12:48 pm.
My favorite thing about August is air conditioning, especially when the humidity is high. Conversely it goes to say the least thing I like is the heat although I do tolerate it pretty well–unless it’s humid. Haha. Autumn is my favorite time of year. I love to watch the leaves turn gold, orange and yellow and watch the maples turn their brilliant shades of red. There’s also that slight hint of the winter to come. For me, it’s the perfect time of year.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 9:58 am.
Luckily, we don’t suffer much humidity. And I found in Anaheim that the constant air conditioning was unpleasant on my sinuses after awhile, but that probably is NOT the case if it’s humid.
Does humidity hang around all year, or is it just a summer thing?
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 12:50 pm.
It seems to be a summer thing and not always in summer. Today and yesterday were beautiful although the temp was in the 80s, the humidity was low making the weather nice.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 12:53 pm.
I am with you. I can handle heat,but humidity wears me out. My DH wants to turn off the air conditoner if it goes below 75 in temp, but sometimes the humidity is so bad that I sneak it back on.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 2:50 pm.
I have blocked my childhood Augusts from my mind. Not only because school starting was like a monster watching over the days. It was soooo hot in VA in August you could not do much of anything (except read–yea!). Now August to me means cool nights and early mornings (the day still gets sticky hot, but already the weather is changing.) Also the start of really good farmers markets. Lots of grilling food outside, to keep the kitchen from overheating the whole house. The anticipation of really good tomatoes.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 10:32 am.
I’m with you on the monster of looming school, Madeline. When I was in third grade, I decided that if Eve hadn’t eaten that danged apple, we wouldn’t have to go to school.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 12:51 pm.
In August, we get at least a handful of sunny days here in Seattle, and I crave the sunshine. The Autumn days grow shorter and shorter. I’d love to hold onto summer a little longer.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 11:08 am.
The Northwest does seem to be a place where August is welcome and celebrated, and with good reason. So we won’t hurry it on for your sake!
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 12:52 pm.
Ohhhh give me some FALL! We’re hot and muggy here in Orlando and while September isn’t a cool month, it’s cooler and sometimes that’s all you get.
It’s been a very long, hot summer, hasn’t it, Barbara? Too much so.
(Btw, The Long Hot Summer is a darn good movie. I may need to watch that again soon.)
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 11:27 am.
Oooh, let’s all watch The Long Hot Summer! I love that movie!
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 12:54 pm.
Did you like the Don Johnson one, or just the Paul Newman/Joanne Woodward version?
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 2:57 pm.
I LOVED the Don Johnson one. Sadly, all I have is a really crappy video copy. I’ve been looking for a good DVD of it for AGES. I wish they’d put it out in DVD.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 3:06 pm.
I love them both, but I lean toward the Don Johnson one myself. He looked so good all sweaty.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 9:38 pm.
Barbara, just reading about your view of August has made me like it more. And on that note, the summer roses are blooming, there are hummingbirds everywhere, and even if I tend to stay inside looking out, and even if I do prefer cooler weather, August does have some good qualities.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 11:44 am.
Oh, yes, I forgot about hummingbirds! They’re so lovely to watch–and they are so fast my cats can’t catch them.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 12:55 pm.
You remind me of another good thing about August. Flowers! Any annuals are in full bloom in a riot of color.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 2:52 pm.
Bring on the fall! I loves me some cool weather.
I am so not a heat girl. When I am outside this time of year I feel just like those plants in the garden – I wilt. Blech.
I will have to say that this time of year brings about the amazing Colorado peaches that you need to stand over a drop cloth to eat because they are so juicy. And the fresh corn that is so good I eat it raw. It is getting a bit cooler here in the evenings, so I might sit outside a bit more… there is no shade, so the daytime is out.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 11:49 am.
Agreed, Sheridan, the Colorado peaches and corn are amazing–I pig out all through August.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 12:55 pm.
I am most definitely a non-lover of summer. As a matter of fact, I can’t stand it. I am allergic to sunscreen, so when I leave the house I have to wear long sleeves, long pants, and a big goofy hat to cover my skin. I get over heated which causes migraines. So ultimately, I’m miserable in summer.
But Autumn, Spring, and Winter, are another story. I LOVE the rest of the year. The weather is perfect! I love Autumn in particular… all that build-up to Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas keeps the air charged with excitement. I most definitely thrive in those months.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 11:59 am.
Oh, Cheri, that would be a big challenge. You poor thing! My mother was allergic to sunlight when she was twelve, and always talks about how awful it was.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 12:56 pm.
Thank you for the birthday wishes. It’s been a good one so far. I’m a big one for memories. Pictures are great but it’s memories that I love the most and I got a good one this morning when my mom bought me a birthday cake and my three year old niece helped me blow out the candles. Actually I let her. She got such a big kick out it.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 12:02 pm.
How sweet!
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 12:56 pm.
As I am a shorts, t-shirt and flops kinda girl, I love the summer. However, since I am also a Texan, I can usually get away with that attire well into October, and sometimes even November.
We really don’t have much of an autumn here…it’s winter, about 3 weeks of spring, and summer. The hub and I want to go up to the northern states on the east and west coast to see all the gorgeous fall colors sometime.
I absolutely AM however ready for smaller electric bills. We are FINALLY able to keep our house above 80 during the day because my daughter got a job. Prior to that point, she and my 11 month old granddaughter were at home all day, and I didn’t want them to swelter too badly, so we usually kept it around 77 and they stayed under the ceiling fans. Now, since no one is home, our timer lets it go to 85 in the house until I get off work, and it has already made a HUGE difference in that electric bill.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 12:27 pm.
Plus, my birthday is on 08/20 and my little granddaughter’s is 08/23, so I have that to look forward to.
Also, we are hoping that my daughter and her hub will have saved enough money to be able to get their own place soon. I’ll miss my precious munchkin, but it will do them good to get their own digs.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 4:31 pm.
I was married in August! I look forward to celebrating my wedding anniversary every August.
I like all the months, all the seasons, for one reason or another. There’s always something lovely about each month.
I have lovely memories of August as a child. The last month of summer, the feeling of the fun almost being over, then the fun of shopping for new school clothes and school supplies—my new notebook, fresh reams of paper, gleaming new pens. The anticipation of school starting is one of my favorite memories and I still feel energized as August turns into September.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 12:31 pm.
School supplies were definitely one of the highlights of the end of summer. I still love school supplies. Fresh clean notebooks, ready to be filled up with….stories!
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 9:39 pm.
August is my birthday month, too (I’m a Leo, of course–what else would I be?), so that’s one good thing about August. Growing up in the tropics means I didn’t grow up thinking of it as any hotter than any other month, but here it is definitely hotter. It’s not as bad as July, but unlike June, it doesn’t get down cool at night. Our lows have been in the 70′s, which is NOT cool to me! Not at my age, anyway.
As a writer, one thing I love about August is how everyone is on vacation and not e-mailing me all the time. *G* The business part of writing seems to grind to a halt, which gives me a chance to catch up on the writing part of writing. And I really need that!
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 3:09 pm.
LOL, that’s true about New York and August. Everybody is gone. Reading.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 9:40 pm.
I’ve mixed feelings about August. It’s really like summer now, along the coast of SoCal. Finally, my tomatoes, watermelon, and pumpkins are really growing because there’s enough sunshine for them. I love that there’s no homework or deadlines.
What I don’t like about August, though, is all the work that I have to do to get the kids back in school. Fortunately, this year all the paperwork will be submitted online, so I won’t be wasting a TON of paper. However, to be able to submit it all online, I have to create individual accounts for both kids. I just got the information that I needed to do this, yesterday, and will have to get the accounts created and paperwork submitted before we leave for Montana next month. As soon as we get back there’s a TON of things that need to be taken care of – dr and dentist appts, middle school registration for my 6th grader, Brownie party (I really need to get the badges sewn on her vest!!), find out my 3rd grader’s teacher, and then school starts the 28th. Of course, I don’t like all the fighting between the 2 of them because they’re getting sick of being around each other.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 4:24 pm.
Oh, I forgot about the squabbling at the end of August. My boys used to be SO MEAN to each other I feared they’d knock each other out. And they would get in so much trouble in the dog days!
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 9:41 pm.
August means Hatch Chili to me, roasting, the smell, the taste in everything from salsa to breakfast. I have been counting the days till Winter as our Fall is non-existent in Southern Arizona. As a matter of fact I asked how many days till Winter in April!
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 5:48 pm.
Chiles! Yep, one of my favorite August rituals, too: finding a good vendor and getting a bushel of green chile roasted for winter enjoyment. I once burned my fingers terribly peeling them and now wear gloves.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 9:42 pm.
I have to say that my favorite part of August is celebrating my youngest three kids birthdays and my least favorite part is celebrating mine
This year makes me want to cringe because I am hitting the big 3 9 and I miss the days when my youngest who is now 8 was an infant. I love that it is still hot enough out to go swim if I so choose, and the evenings are cool enough that I can sit out on the back patio and enjoy the breeze without breaking out into an immediate sweat from the dew point! I love the local farmers markets that have the most delicious peaches this time of year. The two things I look forward to the most however is the end of August when school starts back up again and so does College Football 
GO BIG RED!!!
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 6:09 pm.
Lora, you’re still a dewy babe! 39 is yet a child, but I get what you’re saying about the passage of time. Every year goes faster and faster. I realized that I moved north to be with Christoper Robin in August, too–seven years ago!
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 9:44 pm.
It is hot as the devil’s elbow here in LA (Lower Alabama!)And I am SO OVER IT !! For someone who has settled in the South and intends to stay here until they put me to bed with a shovel I really hate HEAT !! The weather in Anaheim was absolutely heavenly to me. I could definitely live there year round. If not for the earthquakes. And the mudslides. And the wildfires. And the riots. Okay, but the weather was really great. I am definitely looking forward to FALL !!
The one thing I do like about August is it gives me an excuse to stop by the Dairy Queen! Hey, that’s my story and I am sticking with it!
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 9:27 pm.
I am a California fan, Louisa. Yeah, there are fires and earthquakes, but the flowers! The ocean! Jacaranda trees and the weather.
Coastal California, though.
Posted on August 7, 2012 at 9:45 pm.