For the Love of Summer

For the Love of Summer

Summer flower

Summer is at its finest when the mercury rises above eighty. I love this time of year. It’s when your vitamin D deficient bodies absorb the sun’s rays and you can’t help but feel great. Summer entices you outside to enjoy all it has to offer. Gardens are in bloom, parks are open for camping and family gatherings are plentiful.

In the summers of my childhood, we picnicked and swam at Rock Dam campground. We joked about how we could say dam and not get into trouble. Dam water, dam swimming, dam skiing and dam fishing. And all of it was dam fun. We camped there recently and it happened to be Rock Dam days, which draws quite a crowd. They celebrate with a parade down the main road and when night falls, you can enjoy the fireworks over the water.

Summer and Manure

Summer and manure have more in common than you may think. Wisconsin is the “dairy state” and our farms are homes to many cows. Many cows create a lot of manure. Farmers need to fertilize their fields to grow crops and manure works great. I guess you could call it a form of recycling. In the country, you’d likely encounter manure on the road or smell it in the air. A phrase called country fresh air. It’s one of those distinctive odors that once you smell it, you don’t forget.

Summers on a farm can be entertaining. My best friend’s grandparents operated a dairy farm. The only thing that separated her house from their farm was a pasture for the cows to graze. Surrounding the pasture was an electric fence we had to duck through as if we were limbo dancing. Once inside the pasture was when the fun started. The game we played was to find a fresh cow pie and with your bare feet step in it. A fresh pie would squeeze through your toes and warm your feet. The not so fresh ones would be dry, crusty and hard.

Summer and Voting

After summer, comes fall and we all know November 8 is approaching fast. If you have Facebook, you know it’s full of posts regarding the upcoming election. Here is an option to warm up your voting hand. Instead of three parties, my poll is giving you an extra option. I’m sure some wish we had the same in the presidential election.

In local governmental news, the picture of a round hay bale depicting the season of fall is also controversial. Recently, the DNR is saying the farmers should discontinue using the round hay bales. They’ve said the cows aren’t getting a square meal. This joke may be cheesy but it’s one of my cleanest.

Which season will people love the most? I’m hopeful it will be summer.

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Carol Schalk
Carol Schalk
7 years ago

Your memories of summer are so similar to mine. As each year passes I am so grateful for my country roots. Few younger generations will be able to enjoy all the personal freedom of that lifestyle. Summer was the season of bounty, followed by the beauty of fall. Winter brought a time for the earth to rest under a blanket of snow and
prepare for the awakening of new life with the coming of spring. Though summer is my favorite season, each one
in turn brings something special to look forward to.

Looking forward to more of your work.

Carol