Farewell lazy days of summer...what's up next?

In the past couple of months, Bliss has been more blissful than usual. You can see how relaxed he is lying in the sun, belly exposed, having a quick nap before he's off chasing chipmunks and squirrels again, doing his doggy work. When I was looking at the accompanying photos for yesterday's blog and trying to find a half way decent one of a loon, I came across this photo and thought how few days we've had this year to lie back and free our minds.

This past year, in Ontario, summer has been an infrequent visitor. We had the best weather for ten or so days ending on Friday this week... it has been mostly grey, rainy, cooler than usual and generally most "un-summer-like." In fact in some ways downright depressing. The good thing for me was that I was able to start a veggie garden and am reaping the rewards of green beans, redskin potatoes and four different kinds of tomatoes...as well as some wonderful herbs that hopefully will continue through the winter as they often do - sage, parsley and chives for sure, the others? I'll pot out some rosemary and thyme I think.

But summer as I knew it as a kid seem to have disappeared - long lazy days, swimming with the neighbouring kids at the cottage my dad rented each year, playing cowboys and indians (no insult intended - that's how we talked way back when), building forts, playing baseball, learning how to waterski behind a tiny 14 horsepower motorboat (unheard of in this day except for putt-putt fishing - er, I mean trolling.)

Seems to me kids don't do that anymore... their heads are down, their thumbs busy as they sit and stare at the tiny screen on their cell phones, play games or even "chattin" with the person they are sitting next to on the park bench, not face to face as we did, but texting on their cells - to the person next to them. Am I the only one who finds this peculiar? Kids don't seem to get outside and play anymore. Are parents too afraid to let them out the door, too busy, too what? Is there something wrong with this picture? Am I wrong? Or do you see a problem down the road as I do? So many questions.

Every day I read more about our environment being messed up, about our diets being tampered with by big business - corporations who care more about selling product than selling healthy food, about the loss of wildlife around the world, about terrible murderous wars with truly awful events in the middle east, about  violence increasing in our cities and I cringe.

What has happened to create these things... was it neglect on our part - the populations of the world - not paying attention as these things slipped into society and grew out of all proportion? Was it complacency? Surely it wasn't on purpose? Not the purpose of general populations?

No one, no child is exempt. Our minds are being bombarded with information all day long it seems to me. No one talks about going for a bike ride, a walk, a swim, except athletes in training, or people my age. Perhaps it's only my misconception and I hope for the future of the world it's true. That people do care, that they are concerned.

We are living in the age of brilliant technology - there is no denying that. BUT we need balance and we need to have time to think, to stop and enjoy a cloud passing over head, a flower or a field of flowers, the forest and yes even the hum of cities.

We need be like Bliss - lie on our backs in the back yard or in a field and just be for a while. Perhaps it will help turn the world onto a more productive path creating helpful wonders instead of the destructive one I see ahead.

If you have any thoughts on this, I'd be interested in reading them. And thank you if you got this far in reading my rant.