Summer’s Last Stand
Today marks the final day of August with the Labor Day weekend approaching fast. It feels like summer’s last gasp. Lake Erie, at around 72 degrees, is still warm enough to swim comfortably by day but at night jackets go on to take the dog for her sunset stroll. Having a home within walking distance to Lake Erie usually means cooler days and nights during summer and warmer temperatures in fall. Lately, early mornings bring a chill that motivates me to get up earlier to cup my hands around a steaming mug of coffee. At least this year the weather decided to cooperate to get everybody geared up to head back to school early.
Those of us in Erie County with kids still in school feel like we’re straddling the fence between summer and fall. My daughter, 21, headed back to college at BGSU Firelands last week along with many other students on semesters. Huron Schools opened their doors to students last week, too. Sandusky Schools got a week’s reprieve and started classes this past Monday.
Whatever happened to school starting after the Labor Day weekend? I remember going back to school on the Wednesday following Labor Day. It was a tough transition from carefree, summer days filled with swimming and boating along the shores of Lake Erie to sitting at a desk in a stifling classroom with no air-conditioning. But in those days, we only had to endure that punishment for 3 days on the first week of school before we got a weekend break. Plus, our parents had the benefit of buying our back-to-school wardrobe at the Labor Day Weekend sales.
It wasn’t quite so painful to go back to school decked out in new duds at the start of the calendar month that brought the actual first day of fall. Heading back to school in early September instead of mid-August fit much better into the natural order of life as it’s meant to be lived along the shores of Lake Erie.
Copyright 2011 Ann Steinemann
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