Don’t look now, but our Sanpete summer is fading.  We ain’t Phoenix.  And, we ain’t St. George.  The calendar indicates that we’ve got a couple more weeks of official summer.  When Sanpete looks at the calendar, what you see is what you get.

   Consider this:  autumn officially begins September 22nd.  The average first days of fall freezing temperatures in these Sanpete towns are:  Ephraim – September 23rd; Manti – September 26th; Moroni – September 18th.

   Averages can be funny things though; we all know how weird weather can be.  I’ve heard it said that if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes or travel five miles.  That seems to be literally true around here.

   Summer should be celebrated.  Back in my Norway days, we had parties on the eve of the longest day of the year.  It was quite an event.

   Of course, Norway is the “Land of the Midnight Sun” during those long summer days.  They are like never ending days.  What the travel brochures don’t tell you is that Norway, besides being midnight sunny, is also the “Land of the Noonday Darkness.” (like Alaska and other areas in extreme northern latitudes)

   (That reminds me.  Why did the GPS coordinate get kicked out of class?  Because he had a bad latitude.  –  I’m sorry.  I read that on a Laffy Taffy just the other day.)

   Anyway, I happened to spend one very dark winter up on the arctic circle in a Norwegian steel mill town called Mo I Rana.  Talk about “seasonal affective disorder!”  The whole town seemed to have it.

   The most effective method of dealing with “SAD” seemed to be the use of alcohol and/or mid-winter trips to Majorca in the Mediterranean.  But, being a church missionary, either of those two options would have been a bit awkward for me.

   I combated my winter “dark, down days” by:

A) visualizing warm and sunny places

B) staring at a house plant that a woman had given us which we named Ubestemt. That’s Norwegian for “undecided.” We used that name because we couldn’t seem to think of a good name for the cheerful, green reminder of summer.  Looking back now, I think we should have named “her” Sunny.   Or,  if we had decided that the plant was a “him,” perhaps the name could have been Vincent Van Grow.   (I admit, I asked AI and got that one)

And the last winter depression coping strategy:

C) convincing Norwegians to let me and my companion into their homes to watch television with them. This was especially hoped for on the night that the American old West themed show “Alias Smith and Jones” was airing.  The Norwegians loved it and so did we – especially when it was cold enough to freeze the wings off a brass seagull outside.

   But I digress.  (Surprise, surprise!)  Celebrating what’s left of summer is what I have in mind today.  How are we going to enjoy the last part of the season and make some memories?

   Here’s a few ideas I’ve come up with for your serious consideration.

1. Porch sitting.  If you don’t have a porch, take lawn chairs out onto the lawn.    That’s what a lawn chair is for – right?  We do both porch sitting and lawn sitting at our house.   Fresh air.  Birds singing.  Neighbors passing by.  It’s one of life’s simple joys.

2. Picnic.  Picnic is a noun and a verb.  Look at that word and say it a few times.  Sometimes it seems to me that we have lots of weird words in our language.

3. Avoid sunburn, but get some sunshine.  There must be some reason that people have worshipped the sun throughout history.  I’ve heard it said that sunshine benefits a person in many ways from delivery of Vitamin D to increased sex drive.  You be the judge.

4. Go on walks and hikes.  This is the time to get our bodies limbered up and our hearts pumping.  Not many of us get enough of this kind of exercise.  Our neighborhoods in Sanpete are “user friendly” for recreational walking.  The hills and mountains are great for aerobic hikes and terrific views of the valley.

5. Eat watermelon, home-grown garden tomatoes, corn on the cob, and homemade ice cream.  I’ve had good watermelon this year from the market, and good tomatoes from other people’s gardens.  The corn is good from the produce stands, and I’ve yet to make ice cream; but a neighbor has made it.

6. Go to the movies at the drive-in theater.  We are lucky to have one of the very few remaining drive-in movie theaters in the state right here in Sanpete.  The Basin Drive-In is a great place for a burger and a movie.  Sitting up front in lawn chairs with a boombox is a great way to do the drive-in.  I don’t know what those people on the back row are doing, but I’ve wondered if they’ve been in the sun too long (see #3 above),  and perhaps they need to rest  – or something.

   Well, there’s a half a dozen ideas for you to work on while the weather holds.  I’m going to try to take some of my own advice.  I think I’m also going to throw in some football, mountain bike races, and maybe a run down to Capitol Reef or Bryce Canyon.  You fellow Sanpeters need to put your own twists on waving goodbye to summer as well.  Enjoy!   — Merrill