In the good ole summertime

Fule for Thought

 

This past winter was a long one. It snowed forever, and the season itself never seemed to want to end. Once again, we had a wet spring where we were blasted with wind, rain, and cool weather. It’s actually gotten many of us down, as the sun doesn’t seem to want to come out much, or stay a long time. I actually saw a very cool poster showing a biker riding his motorbike on a snowy road. The caption was done like a “break-up letter.” 

It read: “Dear Winter, I’m breaking up with you. I think it’s time I started seeing other seasons. P.S. – Summer is way hotter than you.” 

That’s how I feel about winter. Our seasons are weird here. We have long, snowy winters with huge winds and drifting. Following this “fun” season, we have cold, wet, springs that seem to give the odd (hint) day of warmth, just to tease us. Our best summer weather seems to hit in late August, and carry on into October! How do you plan for summer activities in the fall?!

It’s no wonder so many Strathmore and county residents head south, even in our actual summer. Summer is like a buddy who’s unreliable. You count on him to help you out, but he doesn’t show up when you need him the most. Then if he does show up, he doesn’t stay half as long as you needed him, then he dusts off without telling you when he’ll be back! 

It’s so frustrating! One summer, we actually went to Vegas for a week. Who goes to Vegas in the summer? The Fules do, and we went only because Brennen had an Alberta Basketball tournament down there. We were not going to let a 14-year-old kid get to Vegas before us! Anyway, coming from the cold, grey summer departure day of Strathmore to the landing site at Vegas was a huge shock. When we left, it was a scorching 13 degrees! We landed into what I felt was a blast oven … 47 degrees. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve just complained about our cold winters and springs, and our slow summer starts. However, this change was a major shock! Any breeze we got was like having a blast from a blow dryer … it literally took away your breath. When we walked along “The Strip,” I was thankful for the many patios that had “spray misters” to spray out onto the sidewalk. I even leaned in often to get as much mist as possible. Once I did feel guilty for leaning in on a guy’s meal … sorry about your salad, buddy, but I was desperate!

Summer in Strathmore is also a time of gardening. We have a limited time for vegetable gardens, flowerbeds, and lawns. I’ve wondered lately about the plant that seems to thrive in our climate, and how our philosophy toward it has changed. Of course, I’m speaking about dandelions. There was a time when it was good and proper to kill these weeds with as much gusto and chemicals as we could muster! Now, however, these cute, yellow “flowers” are not seen as weeds anymore, and towns and counties don’t attack them as much anymore. I get that we don’t want to pollute the ground water, hurt bees or birds with chemicals, but it really is hard for me to see dandelions as cute. To me, they’re still a spreading yellow weed that must be eradicated! I hate dandelions, I hate their colour, and the way they change into having puffy balls of seeds that spread all over! However, I do recall being a kid and making wishes when we blew on the ball of thistle seeds, sending them flying off to (probably) spread to our neighbours’ lawns! Girls used to take the stems and make bracelets, and kids used to rub them on each other to see if they loved somebody, or butter, or some other strange old time belief. I have a colleague on council, Denise, who told me that I would change my thoughts on dandelions as soon as a grandchild came up to me with a bouquet of them. I’d really like to believe that, but I have a hard time shaking the whole idea that they’re disgusting weeds!

Maybe it’s a good thing we are changing our views on dandelions. I have been told they’re great in salads, are a natural laxative (yea!), and even make for great wine. Heck, if they do make good wine, that’s one reason alone to treat them with respect! I found a quote about dandelions that reads: “When you look at a field of dandelions, you can either see a hundred weeds, or a hundred wishes.”

I get it, but I think I’d still wish for better summers, and less dandelions!

 

(“Fule for Thought” is a slice of life humourous column that appears in the Strathmore Times, written by long-time resident, town councillor, high school teacher, coach, husband and father of two – Pat Fule. If you would like to get in touch with Pat, you can send him an e-mail at Pat.fule@shaw.ca)