Looks like we made it

In most ways, I’m a very typical Minnesotan.

I enjoy hockey, draw out my vowels, appreciate a nice piece of fish, pretty much the standard stuff.

But there is one place where I differ greatly from many people in this and other cold-weather climes: I’m always happy to see the summer months go.

Sure, there are some things I enjoy about them, trips to the lake and baseball games being the most prominent. But by and large, they just don’t do it for me.  Particularly July, which is really just February's warm-weather cousin. As I’ve written about at length in the past, the world is far more interesting once summer starts winding down.

So, for those of you that love the heat, don't panic, you've still got plenty of time to finish off your summer agenda.  I don't mean to be putting thoughts of snow flurries in your mind, because that's definitely not something I'm looking forward to either. 

It's just that the dullest month on the calendar in terms of events has just passed.  Now that we've finally made it to August, I can start thinking about all the things between now and the aforementioned snow that make it my favorite time of year.

Here, in no particular order, are 25 of the things that make the next 3 months the most exceptional on the calendar:

1. 75-degree days and 55-degree nights

2. The State Fair

3. No humidity

4. Leaves changing

5. T-shirt weather in the afternoon giving way to sweatshirt weather at night

6. The fact that every sports radio and TV program gets 5000% more interesting

7. Beautiful scenery everywhere you look

8. The end of road construction

9. No rainy days

10. Leaving the windows open so a cool breeze can blow through the house

11. Hoodies

12. Oktoberfest beers hitting the shelves at liquor stores

13. The Oktoberfest celebration at Gasthof’s

14. Bonfires

15. Tailgating

16. Hitting the patios along West 7th before a Wild game

17. Fantasy football drafts

18. Raking leaves (the first time, then it quickly becomes a pain in the ass)

19. Making the walk from Stub’s or Sally’s over to Mariucci Arena without a parka

20. Sitting on the porch, listening to the Van Morrison song “Golden Autumn Day”

21. Taking the dog through the woods without a single drop of sweat forming

22. Baseball pennant races and playoffs

23. Catching the scent of burning leaves on the wind

24. College football

25. NFL football

And as a bonus, this year includes my favorite part of the Olympics, the closing ceremony.