By Ralphine Major

Hot sweltering days, stormy afternoons and fireflies lighting up the summer evenings. We are in the middle of July and what is often called the dog days of summer. Those familiar summer scenes we wait all year long to enjoy will soon be giving way to others. Neatly planted rows of corn, beans, and tomatoes in vegetable gardens and golden hayfields that have been transformed into square bales or big round ones remind me that it is only for a season.

It is hard to believe that school supplies are already filling the store shelves, and a countdown of days until the start of a new football season has already begun. I check my calendar and see so many unfinished stories to complete before I turn the page to a new month—one that will symbolize the end of so many activities we have enjoyed in recent months and the unofficial start of new ones.

One of my favorite memories from years ago was the family of geese that once dotted the green pastures. They would wander all the way over to the other side of the field and graze during the day. When evening came, they would begin their march, almost in single file, back to the barn. Cars would often stop to watch them, and some would even take pictures. It was quite an event to see—and one that I now miss.

The scenes of summer are moving on. Enjoy the moments while you can. They will turn into autumn before we know it, and a new season will begin.