Since this is my blog, I can say what I like about July. You don't have to agree and you probably won't. I have always thought of July as a disappointing month. A rehearsal for the real summer of August. It always has taken me almost the whole month to get into the mood of summer. The real heat of summer never came until closer to the end of the month.
As a kid who loved school from the very beginning, July loomed huge and black during those last days of class. July meant no more days spent learning stuff, seeing my friends and escaping from chores. While my mother was a strong advocate of reading and learning, she had a home to run, a husband and five children to cook, clean and pick up after. Having your oldest daughter home every day certainly provided extra hands and another child minder/entertainer. Who could blame her?
I never think of July as being a very festive month. Back in those olden days, we didn't celebrate July 1 as we do now for Canada Day. It wasn't even called that. We were most of us, quietly proud to be Canadian but parades and festivals were few and far between. A question of money? Time? The collective personality of our citizenry? I don't know what changed. And fireworks were strictly for Hallowe'en in my town. The biggest celebration that I knew of in July was my brother's birthday. Not exactly cause for a town party and, anyway, so far at the end as to be almost August.
The fruit season of course always began with rhubarb, strawberries and early cherries in June. My favorite crop, blueberries, didn't ripen in quantity until almost August. The tomatoes were also not usually ready for much of July. Not that July was a complete fruit desert...one could always look forward to the raspberries coming along in abundance. Then, of course, there was the hot and steamy work of putting up the jams and canning the fruit. Have to admit that got worse as the summer went along.
As a mom myself, July was when the kids started their summer vacation. Home life's rhythms changed and weren't nearly so orderly. It still seemed to take almost the whole of July while all of us adapted to that change.
So, July. Not my favorite month. But, it's way better than January!
Is that a picture of your brother? Gosh, you have fireworks on Halloween? Do you still? I don't think I have ever heard summer sound so dreary before! August is too hot for me, but come to think of it, July has been pretty hot, anyway!
ReplyDeleteOf course you can write whatever you want on your blog! I liked that bit, even if I like July too; I like it better than August anyway, as August is when we are bombarded with "back to school" stuff.
ReplyDeleteI can identify with the "eldest girl = helper" bit too!
It struck me this week that it's only a handful of weeks until the summer months are over? Didn't summer just start.
ReplyDeleteYes, if I had the option I'd pick July over January. I love the pic of your brother, I believe this is. Black and white photos were always at the top of my list, sort of reminded me of yesteryear's. July is a month that is harder to adapt to, I have to agree. Here we are the 20th of July and we are just starting to open U-pick for Strawberries. My strawberries are almost finished as I have early berries. Are we behind you in season or what!!
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