Everett Taylor: Taylor's Yarns

In times of yore, say in the period 60 to 70 years ago, August was mostly a month to be tolerated, associated mostly with discomfort and a rather dismal lack of even mildly interesting activities.

A youngster in the growing-up stage during that period on a central Texas farm might find a daily examination of an expanding monster crack in the dried-out farm land one of the more intriguing activities.

During a dry summer, which was most of them, just about every farm had at least one gaping split in the earth big enough for a rather large animal to fall into. And there were numerous smaller ones that could cause a twisted ankle for the unwary.

They were somewhat mysterious and the really big ones seemed to be bottomless. Global warming was unheard of in those days, but everybody knew the cracks were caused by a lot of dry, hot weather. It would eventually rain, of course, and all of the cracks would disappear and soon be forgotten.

Nobody went to look at those cracks during the heat of the day. Like a Christmas Eve night just before Santa’s visit, out in the country it was hard to find any kind of creature stirring after the early morning hours until late evening on a searing August day.

People were not staying in air-conditioned houses, or cars, however, because Texas didn’t have those in the 1930s. But it wasn’t quite as hot in the shade, inside or outside, especially if a spot could be found with even a slight breeze. The heat discouraged any kind of physical exertion.

There also was a lot of talk about the “dog days of summer,” especially during early August. Without benefit of a lot of research, we always figured the sultriest days of summer got that name because dogs always seemed to be able to find the coolest spot.

They had a knack for locating a bush or plant, some shady place where water might be dripping from a tank or cistern, digging out a comfortable resting place and taking a cool snooze.

It didn’t take a “do not disturb” sign to know they wanted to be left alone. A stern warning glance out of a half-closed eye was a strong reminder of the wise old saying about a sleeping dog.

So August, for the most part, was generally marked by inactivity except for the heat waves that could be seen moving lazily across the parched, cracked surface all the way to the far horizon.

Hot and dry weather still can be the calling card of August, as we are seeing this year. But the month no longer is a time of general inactivity. It has become one of the busiest times of the year.

Football season still may be almost a month away, but it is easy to conclude it really starts in August. Pro football preparations get front-page attention. College and high school players are already starting to get in shape, working through the hot temperatures.

Adding to the early August excitement this year was a total eclipse of the sun across a sizeable portion of the earth Friday, even if Tyler residents could only read about it. Most people are unlikely to personally experience a total eclipse of the sun in their lifetime since one will occur on any single part of the earth only once every 375 years on average.

This also is the month of the Summer Olympics, to be held in Beijing, China, Aug. 8-24. Perhaps the political developments are being watched more closely this time than the actual athletic contests for world championship recognition in a variety of events.

And unlike the 1930s when most schools didn’t start until September, August now is “Back to School Month” for students of all ages in schools ranging from kindergarten through college. Add a national political convention this year.

Some great moments in history also have been recorded in August. Two of those are coming up this week, Aug. 6 and 9. In 1945 on those dates atomic bombs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, portending the end of World War II.

It was a very good month.

Everett Taylor
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