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Today is not Halloween or Thanksgiving or Christmas. However, retailers are ready for all three holidays today. Just look at the shelves in any store and you will find signs of any and all of those special days.
I have gotten used to seeing candy corn among the circus peanuts and other summer-type candies as early as July. But poor August is losing its identity.
I feel sorry for the month of August. Over the years, it has gotten bypassed more and more. Society today has no respect for the month of August. Of course, we know it as the eighth month of the year. Yet my trusty dictionary says the word August also means "grand, majestic or inspiring reverence."
I don't know too many people who think of August as being grand or inspiring. Normally August is one of the hottest months on the calendar in the Ohio Valley. Football players dread the two-a-day workouts in the humid heat of August. Even lifeguards at the local pools complain about the heat in August.
This month, teachers and students are counting down the days until the first day of school. In my days, that didn't happen until after Labor Day in the respected month of September. Somewhere along the way, school systems decided it was a better idea to begin the school year in August. Granted, it's late in August but it just feels like the summer break is a bit short-changed for students and teachers.
This practice of school starting in August negates that lovely song by The Happenings in 1966 titled "See You in September." It sings of "seeing you when the summer's through." Sorry, fellas, but summer vacation has been called off in August. "See you in August" just doesn't have the same sweet sound.
I suppose there are some parents who can't wait until school bells ring once again. Let's get those little darlings back in the classroom and out of the house where they have been eating everything in sight. As a working parent, I understood that the summer break from school was costly. Gone are the days when moms stayed home and dads went to work. Younger children need child care. Baby sitters and day camps aren't free.
To me, August signals the end of some of the best parts of summer. The pools close. The number of outdoor concerts is becoming less and less. The playgrounds become empty again. The good thing about August is back-to-school giveaways and shopping for those new shoes and supplies. And just think you can get your candy corn along with those backpacks and crayons.
Heather Ziegler can be reached via email at hziegler@theintelligencer.net.