Monday 22 August 2016

The Dreaded End of Summer

Am I the only one who hates the end of summer? Every year, no matter where I am, how old I am or what's ahead, I feel almost depressed that another summer is coming to an end.

It doesn't help that this time I'm in England and preparing to say the annual goodbye to friends and family, but even when I'm already back in Chicago, the end of summer comes too soon. Of course, this might be that two of my children are adults and I haven't spent three months dragging them to parks and museums, wearing myself out and draining the bank account to keep them amused.I remember all too well the daily "Oh my god, when does school start?" feeling. The youngest (now 13) went from one day camp to another (metal-working, tennis, archery, rock music) before we left for England and confessed that the one free week he had, wasn't quite as good as he anticipated, (ie. I didn't let him play PS4 the entire time.)

I'm not even back in Chicago and already the back-to-school e-mails are disturbing my dreams - Did I remember to submit the medical forms that were due two months ago? (Answer - yes.) Do we know who his main teacher is yet? (Answer - I don't think so, unless I've missed an e-mail.) Then there's a whole load of orthodontic stuff that needs to be scheduled, the dog needs a few vaccines, the windows are in dire need of a power wash, etc. etc.

The end of a Chicago summer is particularly distressing given the winters that we endure every year. As I've written about many times, we hardly have a shoulder season (autumn/fall) and before we know it we're wearing the usual glam parkas, shoveling snow and worrying about frostbite. Some people say they love the seasons, but me? I could live in summer all year round. 



5 comments:

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  2. I also hate the end of summer. It's quite a different feeling to the Spring when the days are lengthening and the buds and bulbs are appearing with the promise of new life!
    I know that our Winters are no where near as bad as yours but I don't like Winter at all! Roll on Spring!
    Maggie x

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  3. It still amazes me that the seasons can be so different in one country (albeit huge in this instance!), here in Okieland we have two seasons, but the difference is summer (if you are a Brit anyway) lasts for nine months!

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  4. I also hate the end of summer - it's so fleeting in the UK anyway, although this year has been amazingly nice. Whereas the end of winter is a time for celebration.

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  5. I just miss not being able to wear my lovely jackets. We have about two weeks (if that) either side of summer and then it's either too hot or too cold.

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