Soo Line: Hey, Summer’s NOT Over Yet, So Stop Kissing It Goodbye

Soo Line By Soo Greiman

I know some things have happened: Camps and swimming pools have closed, school has started and vacations are behind us. It all signals summer is over, right?

I hope not.

That’s why I’m advising everyone to stop thinking it’s time to kiss summer goodbye. Maybe what we’re feeling really is just the back-to-school energy buzzing around. It’s almost palpable.

We have been conditioned since childhood to think Labor Day weekend is the end of summer. Maybe that’s the problem. We’re still carrying around those early September back-to-school blues we developed in elementary and junior high school!

Like a lot of others, you might have noticed some of our big-box stores got decked out early with Halloween decorations, Thanksgiving items and even Christmas merchandise.

So what? Those holidays don’t occur until well into fall.

We are people, not department stores, and it’s time for everyone to hold off on waving goodbye to summer. We need to slow our roll and enjoy these summer days while we have them.

After all, fall technically does not begin for weeks yet. Put your order for pumpkin-spice everything on hold for a bit longer, OK?

Here’s a bit of science: Fall begins Sept. 22 with the autumnal equinox. So, in a couple of weeks, you can truly go whole-hog fall. Until then, it’s technically still summer.

Halloween won’t be here until the very last day of October, and Thanksgiving arrives near the end of November. That means not only are you too early to celebrate fall now, but you’re also way too early to begin your autumn holiday preparations.

Pumpkins aren’t even in season yet, so slow down on the pumpkin-inspired stuff.

Here’s something that does make sense: You can still take advantage of summer fruits, so why wouldn’t you?

Keep eating watermelon, cherries, peaches and plums while you can. Don’t rush the timeline of what’s produced here. Enjoy summer fruits and sweet corn while they’re still fresh and give those pumpkins some extra time to grow.

Hey, to most of us, it doesn’t even look like fall yet.

The leaves on the trees are still green, thank you very much.

A fall day is when you’re crunching through fallen leaves and looking at the pretty reds and oranges of the changing trees. We’re far away from that, my friends.

Fall colors typically don’t reach their peak until well after the calendar turns to autumn. So, yeah, the trees are with me on this one — it’s not fall yet.

What I’m advising is this: Don’t give up your summer vibe.

Go ahead, keep wearing white.

Until it’s actually time for apple cider, flannel shirts and bringing out the Uggs, let’s celebrate the end of summer by drinking ice-cold lemonade and mowing our green lawns for as long as they keep growing.

After all, once it’s actually cold, everyone will be complaining about winter lasting forever and wishing summer would come back.

Why not enjoy it while it’s still here?