Where Did The Summer Go?

The older I get, the faster summer seems to go by. It feels like it was yesterday that summer had to start and I could sit outside in the warm sun after a long cold autumn and winter. Finally enjoying long days and sultry summer evenings. Finally a pleasant temperature, and not having to light a heater to keep the temperature in the house pleasant. Unbelievable how quickly the weather has gone by. Until last week the temperature remained pleasant, often above 20 degrees. But this week the inevitable drop in temperature has arrived. It's that time again. The change from summer to autumn is upon us. The time of year when our country turns further and further away from the sun. The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting longer. And when the shortest day is on 21 December, the temperature will also have dropped considerably. Simply because the sun can no longer reach our country long enough to warm up the ground surface. We're not there yet, first, the magic of autumn is yet to come. Where spring is good for fresh green tones, in summer it is a darker and fuller green, and then autumn ensures that all those green tones change to warm yellow, red, and finally melancholic brown colors. It won't be long now.

First Leaves Fluttering Down

Somewhere inside me still lives a little bit of the photographer who couldn't wait for it to happen, and when I walk through the forest with Skipper now I see that there is still plenty of green, but I also see that the discoloration is already in full swing. And the first leaves are already fluttering down. Seeing this process is beautiful, especially when the trees will soon be adorned with the most beautiful autumn colors, but seeing this also lets me know that summer is really over. Only a few more weeks and the forest will look bare and dead. Then it's waiting again for spring to come, and that still feels an eternity away. When I was younger I didn't think about it that much, although I have always suffered from that melancholic feeling at the end of the summer. The business and free feeling of summer disappears. The terraces that were busy all summer are cleared away and the streets and squares suddenly look empty. It is always a bit of a farewell, as if all of life goes into a kind of hibernation and waits for the moment that spring will make everything start again.

Not Looking Forward To Autumn And Winter

Although I really cannot deny that autumn has something magical in terms of colours and atmosphere, this change of seasons always influences my mood. Where autumn still offers something warm and nostalgic, winter has changed in recent years into a series of cold, dark, grey days that I have to get through. In recent decades, winter in the Netherlands has also changed into a very wet, humid period. We hardly have any snow anymore, and no frost to make the air clear. Where I still remember the winters from my youth in which I went skating every day on the sprayed frozen meadows, or even on the natural lakes if it had frozen for longer, nothing of that nostalgia is left. Nowadays we only have to deal with nasty, damp cold that gets into our bones. And a sky that is often covered with a gray, gloomy sky from which only more rain falls. No, I am not looking forward to it.

Skipper Enjoys Every Season

During my walks with Skipper, I still enjoy the last bits of warmth in the air. For Skipper, it is perhaps a bit different than for me. Of course, he also notices that the temperatures are dropping, and he seems only happy about it. For him, the heat of summer is more difficult to handle, even with his thick coat that protects him from the sun. Dogs cannot sweat to regulate their body temperature like we humans can. The only place where they can sweat is through the pads under their paws, and these are now in contact with the warm ground. Now that autumn is making its entrance, Skipper is in his element. The cooler air gives him new energy, and whenever he can go off the leash he runs through the forest with great enthusiasm. His ball is always his faithful companion, and whatever he does during a walk, he carries that ball in his mouth. Every time he makes me laugh again with that enthusiasm.

Dipping In Ditches

And even now that it is getting colder, a dip in a ditch is still a must. He always knows where to find a place where he can cool off, even now that the water is getting colder. Skipper doesn't care whether it is scorching hot or freezing cold, he enjoys every second outside. For me, it is becoming more and more of a challenge to leave for those walks. Once I am outside, Skipper's enthusiasm is infectious. How can I say no to those happy eyes and wagging tail?

Happiness Is Simple

This morning we enjoyed our walk again, and Skipper came home tired but satisfied and. He had put his ball down next to him, his task for the morning was done again. Then he had gone to sleep contentedly in his favorite spot, close to me. And as I looked at him I thought about how simple happiness is for him. For him it is the little things that make life so beautiful, going for a walk together, an old ball, and a dive in a ditch.

Skipper Lifts My Mood

I still can't say that I look forward to the gray winter days that are coming, certainly not, but these walks with Skipper certainly give me a different perspective. Skipper really enjoys every day, regardless of the weather. I should see the beauty of every season just like Skipper. Spring with its young fresh green, summer with full colors and exuberant nature, then autumn with its warm colors and fresh air, and even winter with its bare nature and cold gloomy wet days.

Circle Of Nature

The seasons come every year, it is the circle of nature. The trees will lose their leaves, the days will get shorter, and the air will get colder. But like every year, after the winter spring will come again. And then it all starts again. Until then, I will let myself be inspired by the walks with Skipper. After all, I know that after the fall and the winter, after the cold and the silence, there always comes new life in the spring and the warmth in the summer.