The good, the bad and the ugly

Commentary by Patrick Keller

First, the good. . . There are certainly a lot of good things to say about summer. It’s definitely my favourite season. In Northern Alberta, you grab onto it with both hands and try to not let go. If you’re a child, there’s even more reason to love summer. There is fishing, camping and usually a summer holiday that includes some kind of travel. Two months off can feel like a lifetime when you’re a child. Having those two months off will become a hard habit to break when you become an adult. The best thing you can do if you really love summer? Become a teacher. Of course, the weather is what makes summer summer, but along with all the sun and heat there is the outdoor fun. There are the barbeques, the late night parties, the beach and swimming. There are the summer breezes and the summer tans, bonfires and beachcombing, hiking and birding. There are all the great smells that go along with the season, like pine needles and freshly-cut grass or the smell of lake water while swimming and suntan lotion.
Now, the bad. . . Thankfully, there are fewer bad things about summer than good. That’s why summer is so good! There are the mosquitoes. The tenacious little pests have really honed their art here in Northern Alberta. There is the future threat of the West Nile virus, and the other nastiness that comes from the biting critters. There are the other bugs that can make some summer people squeamish, like black flies, deer flies, horseflies and, of course, spiders that seem to find their way into peoples bathrooms and bedrooms, seeking shade or moisture. For a summer-lover, I’m one of those people who is cursed with fair features. When it’s very sunny and hot, I will suffer from the effects of heat and sun stroke quickly. Without a hat, I will drop like a sack of potatoes in about 15 minutes. Still, wearing a hat is a small price to pay. For my money, it beats wearing winter boots, 14 layers of clothes, mitts and tuques for seven months. For me, the worst part of summer is that it is fleeting. Already, the really long days are shortening a bit. It was a thrill to see the daylight still coming through my blinds at midnight, especially after so many dark and dreary winter nights. As each day gets shorter, I am reminded of winter’s incessant approach.
The ugly. . . Let’s face it, even summer has an ugly side. With the creeping effects of climate change, summer becomes shorter and hotter, and it happens much quicker. It seems like only a few weeks ago, it was much too cold out for T-shirts. Practically overnight, it went from winter to summer. What happened to spring? Along with the whole ‘environmental collapse’ thing that is on everyone’s mind these days, there is the mountain pine beetle. The little bugger’s killed so much forest in British Columbia that carbon dioxide from the decaying trees is affecting the climate! There is supposedly a giant hole in the ozone, somewhere above the Arctic Circle that is letting dangerous ultraviolet rays in. I remember when I was a child, sunscreen came in two flavours: child and adult. They had SPF ratings of three and seven. Now, you can get triple digits on a bottle and UV warnings on the weather channel. Yikes!