Summer is Almost Over (Apparently)

I just got back from a trip into a local discount store and did some browsing of a variety of different products. They've got some great deals going on - but I couldn't help but notice what the majority of those items had in common: they are all summer stocked items. So naturally, all of the shorts, tank-tops, flip-flops, garden supplies, plants, and summer-themed dishware all had discounts or were marked down on clearance. So what gives, is summer almost over? According to the national retailers it is.

What floored me the most is the beginnings of the back-to-school area of the store being set up. The signs were hung from the ceilings, backpacks are appearing on the shelves, and the looks on the faces of kids seeing this when it isn't even 4th of July yet is absolutely priceless. But let's be clear about something - didn't the grade schoolers just get out of school only a few weeks ago? And already we're ushering in the end of summer. Unreal.

It always makes me a little sad to see the greenhouses out in the parking lots of many different stores begin to come down. It really gives me a reality check in that summers are so short around here that we need to embrace how little of the season we have. That is especially true this year where it seemed spring lasted into part of June. Heck, the leaves on the trees didn't fully pop out intil the first of June and the lilacs weren't in full bloom until about a week later. Yet we're already starting to usher in the end of summer in stores. Where is the justice in that?

The good thing is that we don't have to pay any attention to what the national retailers are telling us. In our minds, summer is still alive and strong. Even though we'll start to see winter coats, boots, hats, mittens, and all of the other assorted winter gear slowly start to appear, we'll know that we still have many more days of glorious sunshine and warmth to enjoy. As I said, we haven't gotten to summer's official holiday and the celebration of our nation's birth, Independence Day. You can't get anymore summer than that.

And that leaves me with this final thought. This time of year when we are closing in on the 4th of July, I can't help but to think of the classic Chicago song "Saturday in the Park." It's another one of those great summer songs, similar to the Corrs "Summer Sunshine," although it's much more memorable to a wide variety of people. The lyrics, "Saturday in the park ... I think it was the Fourth of July ... People dancing, people laughing ... A man selling ice cream..." Now doesn't that make you smile? Get out there and enjoy the summer of '08!