Jeff's Commentary - 8/10 - The End of August

I do love the end of August. Not because its still 110 degrees out and not because we are in the “dog days of summer.” No, I love the end of August because it is the beginning of another season of change and hope. School is back in session...so a new year of growth hopefully comes to my kids. We come to understand that Mother Nature is beginning to cool her jets a bit and some relief is coming. People start to smile more because the Fall brings a fresh start to the day. Football returns and baseball finally gets some mojo and is fun to watch. While traffic returns with all the vacations ending and schools beginning, it seems OK because increasing traffic tells me the economy is getting better as more people actually are able to go to a job. My dog spends more time outside because the cement in my backyard isn’t 180 degrees. I actually open a window and door at night to get some fresh air in the house. More people start to go to the farmers market. My neighbors start to walk more so there is actual communication between houses because we are outside again. I begin my obsession with Halloween decorations and look forward to the reopening of the Halloween superstores filling aisles with costumes and things to hang. I can actually get out and work on the yard without feeling like I’m in a sweat lodge. My soda in the garage won’t explode anymore from the heat. I’m able to walk around downtown and not see the drug dealers, gangs, and dead bodies that some of our politicians get on national TV and talk about. And maybe, the people of Arizona will start to quit fearing everything with the return of cooler heads. I do love the end of August.

Jeff