Sara Sandstrom-Kobi, Peak to Peak. It is tradition that when school starts each year it is a mark that summer has come to an end. We still have warm weather and long daylight hours but daily schedules change. There is a shift in how we greet each day and the tasks that must be done. 

As I write this, we only have a few more days of summer with no school. I have started to contemplate what the summer was like for us. 

My kids now put their masks on in public without me having to remind them. This is a huge change from March and April. Although, I still find it strange to have to say before leaving the house, “Does everyone have a mask?” 

We have played a lot of driveway soccer, baseball and tag. I really need to get tougher or start wearing protective gear and a helmet when playing soccer with my son. Tag is a game I will not miss when the kids do not want to play it anymore. I can not keep up with them. A downside of having kids later in life. 

We have seen more moths this summer than I have ever seen in my life. Rather annoying when trying to get kids to sleep. It is strange and has left me thinking about what weather pattern has caused this?

There are two Cottontail Rabbits that we see every day in our yard. Actually, it might only be one, but the kids are convinced there are two. They have been named Goodie-Two-Shoes and Chubby. Every day several times a day they come to a shaded side of the house and eat in the salad bowl of plantain that grows there. They are cute. Well, cute until Chubby got into the greenhouse and ate all of the carrot tops. After my initial anger I will admit that it is cute to see Chubby stuffing his cheeks with plantain every day. Just keep it outside Chubby. 

We have also seen more mice than usual. I am grateful that we have never had a mouse issue in the house. However, this summer I woke up really early one morning and saw one running across the kitchen floor. The traps immediately came out. A couple days later my daughter came into the kitchen and said calmly and very matter-of-factly, “Mom, there is a dead mouse by the washing machine.” While my skin crawled, I was thankful that she has not inherited my fear of the wretched creatures. 

I think this summer, that has been mostly at home, has led us to be more observant about what is going on right around us. We have taken more time to watch the birds and chipmunks. We were on a little walk this week and my daughter saw some yellow aspen leaves. I gasped, not ready to see that yet. She said, “Do you think someone came over here and painted them yellow?”

For a second, I thought of blaming the neighbor for a not-so-funny prank, but I have always been extremely honest with my children and had to say that fall is coming. Her reaction was not at all annoyed, but thrilled with the thought of snow coming to play in. And I smiled as I listened to her endless chatter of all the things she was looking forward to in winter. 

It has been a rather strange and unusual summer for all of us. At some point we all have to jump into the river of acceptance, when dealing with this pandemic, and let it take us to the next place. With some resilience and grit we will get through this and hopefully land in a place of more compassion and purposeful growth. 

(Originally published in the August 27, 2020, edition of The Mountain-Ear.)