This opening line to a beloved classic is one of my all-time favorites. A simile to savor. Each new August feels pretty much like that, doesn't it--the idea of the year hitting a peak and then descending? Babbitt's great image-provoking description can't be beat.
And yet, August does speak to each of us, don't you think? What images might we come up with if we tried our hand at similes and metaphors to describe summer's passing?
This idea struck me after my morning walk the other day. With camera in hand, and no specific plan in mind, I snapped a picture here, one there. Upon reviewing the shots, one particular thought came to mind. See what you think :-)
August fireworks exploding!
Sparkly light displays...
...fiery glows.
Color-bursts...
...ooohs...
...and ahhhs.
Yet quickly fading.
Hold loosely. Release.
Hold loosely. Release.
August: shooting off its own brand of fireworks in celebration of the passing of summer! May celebrations of your own kind be in store this month for you as well.
To what might you compare the month of August?
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Kenda, your photographs are stunning, and I love the quote from Natalie Babbitt. For those in Tuck Everlasting, and metaphorically speaking, August must've lasted forever. Our location doesn't offer the same vistas as yours, and so my comparisons are different. August begins with the smell of ripened grain in the air. The men start cutting the grain, and the golden fields take on a dusty, shorn look. Before the second or third week is over, the mornings are becoming chillier; a hint of fall is in the air. The first frost usually comes around the beginning of September, when there will be no more corn or tomatoes ripening on the vine. Each month has its glories, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteBabbitt's quote is perfect - thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteFor teachers, August is always the beginning and the end. The end of summer is also the end of time to read just for fun, evenings with no papers to grade, the freedom to plan around life instead of the school calendar. But it's also a new beginning - new students, new learning, new challenges.
Ex-teachers will tell you that even years after they've left the profession, they still feel a mental and emotional tug when they pass a schoolyard in late August. "Wonder what they're doing. Shouldn't I be there, too?" So for teachers, August's ferris wheel is on its downward descent. Time to buy a ticket for a different kind of ride. (Now you've gone and made me feel nostalgic.) :-)
Cathy--Thanks :-) And you know, when stop by your place and see pictures of your neck of the woods, I always think how nice it would be to visit!
ReplyDeletePeggy--Thanks back to you. Appreciate your thoughts on teachers. Hubby is retired after over 30 years in the business and he would agree with you, except that he goes back as a tutor each year :-)
Have a great weekend!
You have some beautiful flowers in your neigborhood. I love those black-eyed Susans. They are dazzling. I have some in my backyard, and still can't get over them. (This is the first year they've burst into bloom.
ReplyDeleteI appreciated your comment on my blog and am wondering: what part of southern Spain did you go to? My husband and I haven't seen other parts of Spain yet, but we are hoping to.
What a beautiful post! August is a mixed bag for me -- it's perfect because it's still summer, yet it's sad because summer's closing at the same time.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth--I love the black-eyed susans, too. I think it's because they remind me of the flowers of my childhood :-) And as for our trip to Spain, we stayed a week in Aguilas, a seaport on the Mediterranean. Then our second week we started traveling and spent some time in Granada where we toured the famous Ahlambra castle. It's a place well worth seeing if you get the chance!
ReplyDeleteBarbara--I feel the same way, August is the winding down phase of summer and I sometimes hate to see it end. But then again, I love the fall, so there are more things in the year to look forward to :-) Thanks for stopping by...