"A chill in the air"

Well, it is happening, summer is moving on and it is becoming fall even though it is supposed to be summer. How I know this is, because people are starting to say, "there is a chill in the air". A chill in the air is described as an unpleasant feeling of coldness in the atmosphere, one's surrounding or the body. Interesting enough when someone says, "there is a chill in the air", it is a universal understanding. No one needs an explanation like I just gave you. 

I thought I would do some reflecting on how the summer weather has been. Since "the chill" is the first sign that summer is coming to an end. It is usually accompanied by getting dark earlier and light later in the day. Then there are the trees that start to turn color. My friend who knows these things, says that a tree has a time that they have leaves. The turning of color and dropping of leaves is predicted by the time they have had their leaves, not by the approaching season. I, of course didn't pay any attention to when they got their leaves, all I know is I have seen some golden trees, already. 

It seems we never talk temperature anymore without putting in the humidex or the "real feel". There were certainly some high real feel days that is for sure. Or how about how we like to talk about the crazy wind. When we say, "it's windy", we can check to see how many kms the wind is "blowing", and "gusting". We are all meteorologists in our own right. The rain fall was unpredictable as usual. Some had the perfect amount, and near to none for others. The weather makes for great coffee shop talk and is a great topic to open a conversation. You can talk to a total stranger about the weather for an extended period of time. 

One of my favorite things to see when I am on a drive is canola fields in bloom, which they were everywhere this year. I love to see a field of blooming flax beside it, which I didn't see this year. I love sunflowers in bloom, and I am always captivated by the changes a field of corn can pull off in a short amount of time. 

The rivers are very low and some of the lakes have algae in them and are unable for people to swim in them. I love swimming in a lake, it is exhilarating. We never missed a week of practice on the dragon boat this year. Minnedosa Lake was closed for a bit as it was declared having blue-green algae blooms. These blooms can produce toxins which can cause adverse effects to both humans and animals. It was sad to see the beach empty when it was really hot. I found this interesting because I had never heard of algae blooms, I was only familiar with the green algae that happens on most lakes, which is harmless. 

My outside planting seems to get less every year. I did my usual impatience plants that thrive on my patio. My ivy is also doing great. I had kept a few sprigs over the winter, and it actually survived and since going outside it has been incredible. I bought a tomato plant, and it looks like I will have 17 golf ball size tomatoes which will cost me over a $1 each once I deduct the cost of the plant. Not the crop I had anticipated. But the showstopper is my begonia. Waves have a big fund-raising event where they sell begonias. They have done this for years and they are very good at it. I know a begonia likes shade which works perfect for my north facing condo. For $35 you get 3 small plants which I repotted. They looked dreadful at that time. They have since turned into a monster plant, with a dream of being a shrub. It does produce beautiful flowers which are messy. The leaves are so lush, and it has had flowers on it every day. This is it, my effort for beautification on my postage stamp property. 

The wildfires have been an ongoing problem all across Canada. In Manitoba is has had the worst fire season in 30 years. The smoke from these fires has traveled as far as some US states. Many days even in the southern part of the province the smoke was so strong it caused health issues for many. I can't imagine what it must be like to live in it. 

There is one more thing. This summer it has been a summer of suffering for those of us that have naturally curly hair. The pain is real! The humidex has made each day seem like you just got a "Toni" perm. But, of course no one with natural curly hair has ever had a perm. It surprises me as to the speed of which hair can go from normal to total frizz. A nano second in some instances. What I like is when people ask me if my hair is naturally curly. I have to smile because who would willingly sign up for your hair looking like a frizz ball. 

With that said, if the only thing I had to worry about this summer was out of control hair, I am blessed. Yes, there may be a chill in the air, but it is a reminder that another season is approaching. We all need to emulate Autumn and remember how beautiful it is to let things go.