We’re now into August – my least favourite month of the year. When I was a kid, August meant back to school shopping, and seeing your friends so there was a sense of excitement and newness in the air, especially if you were starting to get bored with the summer. Many people still have that sense that September is the real start of a new year.
But as an adult I find August depressing. Summer is slipping away, with colder weather waiting in the wings, surely welcome this year after all this heat and humidity, but looming right behind it is winter, which is fun for awhile but tend to overstay it’s welcome. It’s getting dark earlier, 8 pm although that’s nothing compared to November’s 4:30 gloom, which many people struggle with but I find cozy because you can always light some candles and snuggle indoors.
I’ve always struggled with August – it’s my birthday month, so I’m another year older, and on top of that my mother died this time last year, four days after my birthday. I spent a lot of time with my mother, especially over the past decade since I retired, not just because it was the right and daughterly thing to do as she got older, but because she was such a nice person, and I’m missing her right now as the anniversary of her death approaches and most of the numbness and busyness has worn off. But time marches on and we must too, whether we feel like it or not.
Plus I’ve been confronted with all the things I was planning to do this summer which I didn’t, particularly true this year with all the heat and air quality and wildfire smoke warnings. You’re afraid to step outside for fear of inhaling tiny particles that will live in your lungs forever. There have been very few beach days. I’ve watched a lot of Blue Jays baseball.
But last Sunday in an effort to get out of the house I picked up a friend and went to an arts and crafts fair in the waterfront park. My mother and I used to go to these all the time, as she was an artist and there were always lots of booths displaying art, and we knew many people in the art community. With names like Artscape, Art in the Park, and Art Walk, they were always good for an afternoon of strolling and visiting and eating, and occasionally buying a piece of art or jewelry.
This particular event, called Shop the Shoreline, was advertised as having 100 vendors. There were 50 at most, none of them very interesting – lots of homemade candles, tie-dye t-shirts, beaded jewelry, a lot of junk I’m at a loss to describe, and no art at all. We stopped at maybe two booths, bought nothing, saw no one. The only food was hot dogs being sold by the Rotary club. I know many activities haven’t recovered from the pre-pandemic days but where did all the vendors go….I guess they must be selling online. It was not crowded as it was so hot and humid – it was so stifling among the tents, that after a quick look through we walked back along the boardwalk to take advantage of the breeze off the water.
But all was not lost as this park has lovely flowerbeds. It must cost the city a fortune to maintain them, especially this year with the relentless heat. So please accompany me for a tour of the day’s silver lining.
It was a relief to stand near the fountain’s mist and go home to the A/C….and the ball game.
In contrast, my garden has not been quite so lush. My gladioli did not pan out – too much heat meant no bulbs for most of the glads. Not quite the vision I had in mind.
I planted these in front of the garden box so the chicken wire could serve as support.
I got three, two pink and a yellow out of this tropical color package. For the ones I planted at the front of the house, the score was 2 pink out of a package of 15 bulbs. The rest have greenery, but no flowers yet although I haven’t entirely given up hope.
Tomatoes and glads – isn’t that a sign of August!
The zinnias did not fare much better – lots of greenery – two flowers. I think next year I’ll just buy them at the farmer’s market.
Some of the geraniums have perked up a bit – all they needed was a bit of rain. It’s raining as I type this – finally, a whole inch. According to the news tonight there are 731 wildfires burning across the country, (none anywhere near me thank god), including some near popular vacation spots and cities. I can’t imagine being a firefighter in this heat. If this summer is the new norm – I’m looking forward to fall.
thehomeplaceweb 
I empathised with your opening remarks as my granddaughter in Norway was complaining the other day about having to shop for school things for she begins her final year of schooling today. The in-between seasons are never easy: winter seems to be giving us some really chilly blasts as if to remind us that it is no hurry to depart – yet we get a few days of much warmer weather that encourage us all to start thinking about spring. Certainly, some of the birds and plants are already in spring mode even if the weather is not! Thank you for these cheering pictures of flowers 🙂 🙂
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Thanks Anne! The flowers are nice as someone else is watering them! I did go to the beach today and it was lovely, not as hot and clear skies, but you can tell the season is winding down.
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Happy Birthday! One wonderful thing about August, bittersweet as it is, is the profusion of glorious blooms everywhere!
In this month each year I find myself over-scheduling so that I can squeeze in all the summer stuff I dream about the rest of the year!
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That’s true, esp. if someone else waters them! Good advice – I did go to the beach today and it was nice, not too hot and clear skies.
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The flower pics are beautiful. If you don’t like August for your birthday month we can swap. January is the pits. It’s cold. No one wants to go out and celebrate. We’ve had a few bad air quality days but that was the extent of the effect we got from the wildfires. So sad.
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I actually don’t mind January – I find it restful after Christmas. which I have grown to dislike the older I get. No one wants to go out in August as everyone is away at a cottage or vacation etc. I’m going to my favorite steakhouse if I have to get takeout!
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This looks like a fun event Joni and it certainly showcased a lot of beautiful flowers. In Wyandotte, they have many of those huge hanging baskets in the City and along Biddle Avenue, so they have big water tanks with a short cherry picker bucket on top and a guy with a wand waters all of them. I always think I’d never walk beneath them – it they fell while wet, you’d be crushed! I like the photo of the seagull perched on the railing with a beautiful and picturesque scene around it. That fountain mist does look inviting. Your flowers still look good, despite all the never-ending hot days. We got a similar good rain on Tuesday night. Happy birthday to you, whatever day it falls on and what rotten timing to have it so close to your mom’s passing.
Today is a sad day for me as my mom and I had a special day we designated to celebrate our respective birthdays – that day was August 14th. For years I always took a personal day or a vacation day on August 14th if it fell on a weekday. We spent an enjoyable day, weather permitting, going shopping or maybe a movie, then out to dinner to celebrate our birthdays. Mom’s was February 14th, Valentine’s Day, so, unless her birthday fell on a Saturday, we never went out on the actual birthday, but the weekend before or after. My birthday is April 14th and we had several times we didn’t get out as it was Easter Sunday or a few times it snowed! So we picked this day, exactly six months after Mom’s birthday, as our “special day”. As you know, I was very close to my mom too, so of course I remember her every day, the special holidays and today especially. Today is also a bittersweet day as my next-door neighbor/friend Marge Aubin, (whom I used to write about all the time and it was because of her that I started a blog), passed away on August 14, 2017.
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Thinking of you on your special day Linda!
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I’m with you on August, this year especially. We are still hitting close to (or over) 100 every day, and no rain in sight. Worst dry spell I can recall. Fires popping up, though fortunately not on my doorstep (yet). Flowers are definitely the bright spot. I don’t think my first experiment with gladioli is going to pan out. Out of 8 bulbs, 3 sprouted greens and none look likely to bloom. But I’m getting some dahlias, sunflowers, bachelor buttons, and a few other cutting flowers to put in vases around the house.
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This has certainly been the worst summer I can recall too. We have had a few normal intervals but usually only a day or two and then back into the heat. Most of the fires out west are started due to lightening strikes on extremely dry conditions, not something anyone can can control. I do have some morning glories with lots of greenery too but no flowers yet – but that is my only late bloomer, other than dinner plate hibiscus. I remember my mother planted glads and zinnias in her farm garden with the vegetables and they always bloomed in that old clay soil?
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I’ll join you in your distaste for August. I always hated the start of school, so August was always a sign that another summer of freedom was about over. Now I just hate the heat and humidity and look forward to fall, which I love.
Condolences on the death of your mother. The first year is full of sad milestones, so a tough time.
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Thanks JP. I remember you posting about visiting your mother in the nursing home, and had a somewhat similar experience, only I was recovering from open heart surgery during the same year, so there were months before and after the surgery when I did not see her….I was just a voice on the phone, always a smile on her face though when I called, according to the staff. I do miss her, but am grateful I had her for 68 years, which not many people can say!
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We had a few nice days, Thurs and Friday, and I was actually able to go to the beach for the first time this summer and there was a cool north breeze off the water, but today it’s back to the heat and humidity, the air so thick I could only do half my daily walk – plus the smell of smoke is noticeable today – usually it’s only a haze. Fall can’t come soon enough.
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Joni, having your birthday and the anniversary of your mother’s death so close together is surely difficult. I have strong memories of her and her art work thanks to you and this blog.
The photos near the water are beautiful. And as I have a sere thumb, I find the flowers you produce in your garden most impressive, even if there aren’t as many as expected and they aren’t doing as well as you’d hoped.
I do hope you’ll have nice plans for your birthday after the difficult year you endured.
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Thanks Annie! It is, but I will get through it. I will probably go to my favorite steakhouse, although not on the actual day. On my actual birthday I prefer to stay home.
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Well, all good wishes—whenever and however you choose to celebrate.
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I hope you had a nice birthday, Joni. My mom’s birthday was in August too. She has been gone 14 years now and still some of those days, birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, are difficult.
I think a lot of vendor show are less attended because people are just not spending money like they use too. I stopped doing the sales after covid mostly because it seems like everyone wants to pay with venmo or some electronic method. I don’t want to be bothered with that. I was happy just to accept cash. I think the more I do with electronic banking the more I am at risk of having my identity stolen. I even shop online as little as possible. I resent that I should have to pay money identity protection.
Your pictures at the park are beautiful. I hope you are enjoying these cooler days.
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I am enjoying the cooler days! I started walking again, but I wish it would stay that temp. I stayed busy this week and tried not think about getting older or mom too much as I know she wouldn’t want me to grieve. I still carry cash and prefer to pay for smaller items that way, but as I saw nothing worth buying at the vendor sale I don’t know what methods they were using. It bothers me that even in restaurants they want electronic payment, as the tip is the first thing up. Last time I went out for dinner I left a cash tip on the table, not realizing they had already included it in the bill, which was annoying considering the meal wasn’t even that good. I agree, a lot of people are not spending like they used to.
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I’m with you about feeling less than enthusiastic about August. However your photos of all the pink flowers do make me realize not everything in August is lousy. Be that as it may September is a better month. Sorry, not sorry, but it is!
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September is already better because it’s cooler!
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What beautiful flowers Joni, I love those zinnias! The weeds were so bad this year, especially the thistles, that I had my husband dig up the entire flower beds along the front of the house. It was so overgrown and due to physical issues I can’t take care of them like I did. Life just got easier. Lol
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Yea I know what you mean….it’s getting harder to take care of everything!.
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The photos of the flowers have added some zip to my day. Gorgeous shapes and colors. They are irresistible.
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Thanks! I should do an update for Sept. as with a bit of rain everything has perked up now as summer lingers….
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