Dear Reader,
July and August weather can be under appreciated, especially if you live in Florida—and even more so if you love fall. It can be hard to appreciate the moment you are living in when it feels like everything is melting—quite literally. I have a car freshener made out of scent beads that just melted off of the hook inserted in it. Last summer, it was so hot that it melted the glue that holds my rearview mirror to the windshield. It goes without saying that Southern ranchers can dread the long, dog days of summer. It’s hard on the equipment, the animals, and the ranchers. But there are also things that only happen in the summer that you forget about until they’re not there.
Thunderstorms:
A Florida thunderstorm is not something to miss. The thunder doesn’t shake your soul like a Western thunderstorm, and they don’t come in as quickly. Florida thunderstorms are like a slow-moving beast that meanders along at its own pace and builds the anticipation with low rumblings and darkening colors. (If a Floridian gets caught in a thunderstorm, it’s because they waited until the last minute to seek shelter.) When I stand outside while the wind rips through the trees and the deep, overwhelming clouds finally see fit to release their lightning and torrential rain: that is the time I feel most alive. Ironically, one of the safest feelings I have ever felt is hearing the wind and rain pouring down on the house and snuggling back down in my blankets to go back to sleep.
Summer Evenings:
Even though ranchers can dread the long days because more sunlight means there is more work to do, the summer evenings aren’t a thing to miss. There is something about how the bright colors of summer that catches you up in its beauty. The humidity that grounds you come together to let your soul rest. It’s like you can feel the hum of everything in nature right where you are, but you are also swallowed up by the vastness of the sunset and clouds. There is something comforting about a summer evening that you can’t quite get in the rest of the year. In summer, all the animals are fat and happy.
Almost any other time of the year, ranchers are worried about the grass not coming back on time or not having enough hay to make it through the winter. (It should be noted that Florida’s typical drought season is late winter and spring.) They are mentally debating whether or not the old broodmare needs a blanket for the night or if they gave the old cowdogs enough hay for their bed. Summer is the rare season that a rancher isn’t overly consumed for the well-being of their livestock.
Random Pleasantries:
There are other things to love about a Florida summer. I love the smell of grass that was mowed in the morning and then baked all afternoon. The Fourth of July is the pinnacle of the American summer, where we celebrate our freedom and act a little more unhinged than usual; just to remind other countries what they are getting into if they pick on us. Fourth of July for my family often means cleaning all day and getting the yard ready for guests, cooking and eating outside, and then fighting the mosquitoes while we watch fireworks. While it is an important reminder of our freedom, it mostly just reminds me of being a kid in my jean shorts and no shoes, watching my uncles’ light questionable fireworks. There is also the experience that almost every ranch kid shares of coming in from working outside and laying on the floor to cool down because you are too dirty to sit on the couch, but you are too hot and tired to clean up and change.
There are only things that you can experience in the summer…and you don’t miss it until it is gone with the long days.
Sincerely,
The Rancher’s Daughter
