FULL-ON SUMMER 2026

DannyM
11 minutes ago
3 min read

Now that we've gotten through the Big 250th 4th of July, the long march to autumn is on.

This year is more than half over. The days are now getting shorter. We are closer to next Christmas than to last Christmas. The countdown to the upcoming NFL season is loudly ticking. (This year's Hall of Fame preseason game happens on August 6th.) Strawberry Season will soon give way to Corn & Tomato Season. And in just a few weeks our lawn and shrubbery-- now lushly green from all the spring rain-- will be withered and yellowish-brown.

Do I sound like I'm souring on summer, traditionally the season of fun in the sun? Maybe a little, as I age; it's certainly not as fun as it once was. Who among us didn't develop as schoolchildren a romantic notion of summer? No classes, no early bedtime, and no structure, at least not until we were old enough to work. We rode bikes and played all day in the sunshine with no thought whatsoever of using sunscreen or hydrating... a word that wasn't even in wide usage back then. What we didn't know didn't seem to hurt us-- whenever we got really thirsty, we simply drank from the nearest garden hose.

And I used to love working outside. I've always been good with manual snow removal in freezing temperatures, say, in the 20º-30ºF range, because the heat generated by muscular activity more than counteracts the winter chill. I'm likewise okay with forest clearing and chainsaw work in slightly warmer spring and autumn temperatures as long as it's not raining. But what I cannot do and will no longer even attempt is strenuous physical labor outdoors in hot and muggy weather. The low-to-mid-70's? Perfectly pleasant... even a tad cool for swimming to many. The low 80's? Still okay for outdoor work, as long as it's not too muggy. But anything over 85ºF is uncomfortable, and working outside with the mercury in the 90's is downright unhealthy.

Did something change? Yes. Climate change is real and measurable, whatever its cause. September is the new August, and what was once pleasantly warm summer weather in my region is now unbearable seemingly half the time. And also I'm getting old... too old to do things that seemed so effortless half a century ago, like stacking hay bales in the summer while wearing jeans, gloves, and a long-sleeved shirt for protection--

Hay bales don't stack themselves.

But I refuse to sulk the summer away. I'm perfectly comfortable in my air-conditioned truck and my home. I'll make batches of delicious and refreshing gazpacho (see our essay with recipes HERE) and do some fancy grilling. I'll get some work done around the yard... there's always plenty to do, and I actually enjoy it when the temperatures are bearable. And when they're not, I'll remind myself that autumn will be upon us sooner than we tend to think.

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Summer is frequently romanticized in song. Aside from Christmas, there are probably more songs about summer than any other time of the year. Here's a sampling from the post-WWII rock-n-roll/pop/standards canon and elsewhere. Note that for every exuberant celebration of warmth and frolic, we also hear strains of longing and regret--

Summer in the City (the Lovin' Spoonful)

All Summer Long (Beach Boys)

A Summer Song (Chad & Jeremy)

Theme from A Summer Place (Percy Faith Version)

Summertime Blues (Eddie Cochran)

The Summer Wind (Sinatra)

The Boys of Summer (Don Henley)

Summer Breeze (Seals & Crofts)

Theme from Summer of '42 (Michel Legrand)

Hot Fun in the Summertime (Sly & the Family Stone)

Summer Madness (Kool & the Gang)

Cruel Summer (Bananarama)