I published this one in 2020 and I think it’s still a fave. So I’m sharing it again because Covid hit our home this week and I don’t have energy for anything else. I do feel like I’m sharing it a little later than usual…Apparently Instagram thinks it’s October. But I am hyped about Halloween so there’s always that.
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Attention everyone. This is your PSA for the year.
It’s simple, really. Let’s keep August in the summer.
Before we begin, I’ll acknowledge that I’m most definitely alone on this one. Maybe. Hopefully not. But it’s time for a fall intervention. Someone has to do it. Someone has to speak up for the sake of the people and all things rational. We all have our places in the world. Mine is to call out bad font usage and take various petty issues to a rant because those are also important for a little tongue and cheek.
I’m asking that August be kept where it belongs, in the summer. No pumpkins. Down with the scarves.
It’s not time yet.
I know you’re probably reaching for those pitchforks. Hear me out.
Fall does not include August anywhere in America. Anywhere. Unless you live in Australia and it’s winter right now, stop including August in the fall. You know that guy who holds up cardboard signs? I’m him. Mine would say, “Stop making fall begin in August”. I get that we’re excited, and I am too. I LONG for cooler weather this year, camping, and s’mores by the fire.
But stop skipping blatantly to the next season without just being in this one for a little while longer.
I feel this way every year, and I finally realized why. I love summer. I want to stretch it out. There’s something sad to me about turning the page into the next school year and I’m just never ready for my kids to grow up a little more. I also love fall. I want it to get here when it gets here. Social media has a way of making things feel so rushed.
Didn’t we get about three months of summer in the 80’s? I feel like we went from June – August and then school rationally began in September. Like the good Lorwdt intended. I’m just furthering my argument by pointing out the retro calendar: I remember August in it’s rightful place, as a part of actual summer. We were also sent outside to disappear for hours on end a-la these magical things called bicycles, and told to drink from the hose. Twinkies were a legit snack, amirite?
Maybe I’m no longer helping my argument, since our generation does tend to put a glossy finish on child neglect.
While I’ve been looking forward to cooler weather a little more than usual, just like everyone else, I’m here for a throwback to the good old days when we could complain about stupid stuff, and my biggest worry was the possibility of glass in our children’s halloween candy. You know, instead of fighting over everything in the comments section of a Facebook page.
{Why do people announce that they’re offended? What are we supposed to do with that information? Commenter: I’m offended. Everyone else: Cool.}
Please keep August in the SUMMER where it’s supposed to be.
That means you, Janice. We don’t want to see your pumpkin-laden porch with your plaid throw gently draped over your cracker barrel rocking chair paired with an innocent {let’s admit, it toes the line on creepy} looking scarecrow a-la your fall tour on Instagram drowning in multicolored mums. It’s GAWGEOUS. But we all know that 350 dollar Home Depot investment is going to die in two weeks because it’s still buttsweat degrees outside, I almost had a heat stroke yesterday, and drinking a pumpkin spice latte gives me the voms right now.
I’m so excited too, but it’s just not fall’s time yet.
Side rant, but can these weird hats not be in style either? Can we at least band together and make this go away? You know, the one that makes you look like a confused pilgrim? Floppy ones are okay, but the brims are scary short and it’s taken the overdone Nashville privilege chic look up a notch.
Are you leading a legion of lost souls into the underworld after sucking Carol Ann into the closet away from her fam, or are you going to Target to retrieve your pumpkin spice latte and shop the latest from the Magnolia collection? I’ll join you for the shopping because I rather enjoy being basic, but let’s lose the hat. Alas, I digress.
There. He just went from creepy daymon cult leader to cozy grandma featured in BHG and if you don’t know this quintessential {horrible} sequel you’re probs better off, but what even was your childhood? It was also Twinkies absent, I’ll tell ya that much.
Follow me for more fall capsule wardrobe ideas.
So enough with the gloved hands and boot selfie on the local farm after a hay ride as soon as it turns August 1. I’ve got perpetual boob sweat. I know that we’re all excited, but ya can’t force cooler weather, so please don’t shove it down my throat via the socials. Just let the season do what it will. IN OCTOBER. When it’s time. September is perfectly fine as well.
August is for summer.
Sprinkled freckles across sun-kissed cheeks. Final swim days. Fireflies. Bike rides. Ice cream trucks. Lemonade.
Twinkies.
Alright, enough with the Twinkies already.
This is how I felt when a pumpkin-saturated porch photo jumped out and assaulted me in my Instagram the first week of August. In the ever-wise words of T. Swift, “You need to calm down”. I’m all for you doing you, until you broach my font ethics and hijack the seasons in my insta feed. Or dress like a demon reverend mated with BHG and it’s still like, 99 degrees outside. #OFFENDED
So just a few suggestions and I will leave you in peace.
Stop skipping to the next season. The fleeting moment that is our offspring’s childhoods which we’re always complaining about, might actually seem to last longer if we chill and relish.
August is in the summer. Someone needs to stop trying to shove it straight into a premature fall. If Jason + Michael Myers came after us with their masks, they’d die of a heat stroke. And then come back to life once you thought you’d killed them off. Pumpkins are rotting on porches y’all. Can we add a national swim day to August or something? If you MUST have your Christmas Tree up in September, can ya keep it to yourself at least until November? Give me my spooky holiday first. Then the thankful one. There’s something about the anticipation that makes it fun.
Let’s just enjoy where we are.
Let’s compromise. Do they make Iced pumpkin spice lattes? Trucker hat versions of the Nashvegas privilege hat in mesh form? Will that suffice until September?
This has been a fall intervention. There are bigger probs in the world, but it feels good to get this one off my chest. The leather seats in our car are still ripping off the first layer of flesh on the backs of our legs when we crawl into the oven that is our vehicle, so stop it with the mums already.
I’m here for cooler weather just like the rest of us, but let’s just all let it happen in it’s own time.
It’s on in September.
Just give me August.
Please and Thank you. Over and out.
::Dear Janice – It’s not your fault. I felt like Karen needed a break because I actually like all the Karens I know IRL. And I know like two of them – they’re super nice. Is there a better name? Felicia? Alexis? And also if you must have a scarecrow, give him your confused pilgrim hat. It really ups the spooky fall vibes, which I’m super excited about IN SEPTEMBER. Thanks::
Because disclaimers are always {unfortunately} necessary: This is tongue and cheek. If you want to put up your Christmas tree right now, please, for the love, go for it. It’s been a hard few years. You do you. Joy and other various whatnots. We’re guilty of rushing the seasons ourselves, because hazard of the job. Just know that we also hate it, because, well, hazard of the job.
Janet says
Oh my word this has me in stitches. Thank you. It is all the things Iâve been thinking đ hilarious! Yay for summer!
Kim Hjelm says
I love EVERYTHING about this post!
ashley @ the handmade home says
I’m SO GLAD! I was truly afraid to write about my distain for early fall. And other things. đ
Anna says
Oh girl. You are brave taking on this one. I couldnât agree more. We need to stop rushing everything. But the hats đđ¤Łđ
ashley @ the handmade home says
I just really don’t understand the hats. Sorry not sorry.
Amanda says
I adore these posts so much!
ashley @ the handmade home says
HAHA thanks so much Amanda! ;} So glad someone else relates
TAMMY GUTHRIE says
Oh my goodness, thank you so much for this post! It drives me insane that people consider August the starting of Fall Season. Here in Texas, August happens to be one of our hottest months, but none the less I still love summer and all it brings.
ashley @ the handmade home says
RIGHT?!?!?! I feel personally attacked when pumpkins and mums jump in my feed đ so glad I’m not alone over here in my silly rants haha!
Michelle says
Totally agree! Do not want to see pumpkins, flannel, scarves when I am sweating buckets here in the dog days of August!
ashley @ the handmade home says
YES! Just really working on being present where I am, now. And enjoying the moment.
Erin says
AMEN!!!!! Thank you!
ashley @ the handmade home says
Of course! It’s like we’re not allowed to speak up anymore đ I believe everyone should just do what makes them happy – but I really don’t care to rush along into the seasons. #MAKEITSTOP #SOCIALMEDIARUINEDEVERYTHING
Kathy says
YES! Itâs fall in August then itâs Christmas in October ( and I have even seen Christmas in July, like thereâs not enough pressure at the holidays, letâs just start worrying about it a full six months ahead of time) and then Spring in January.
ashley @ the handmade home says
haha! I think I ruffled some feathers on the social medias with this one. It all just feels too pushy to me. But also, I don’t mind just skipping January so I guess I’m a big hypocrite ;D HA!
Kelli says
Hahahaha! I thought the hats were the best part, until we got to the “Eww, covid!”
THANK YOU for this post. It is 100% what I needed today. (Oh, and if we’re gonna get technical, Fall doesn’t even start until the end of September… when it will still be in the 80’s! #slowitdown)
ashley @ the handmade home says
HAHA! Hoping to make a few people laugh because if they’re anything like me, they need it. And if ya like the hat, by all means wear it. Just keep that brim a little bigger and maybe make it floppy? It’s an aesthetic thing to me. Doesn’t it make you think of the scary demon guy from poltergeist? Is it just me? I feel like if you wear that hat, you most definitely need to be able to play the harmonica in a coffee shop on open mic night. If you have the required mad harmonica skillzzzz, I’ll leave you be.
Kathy says
Oh, Ashley, I love your rants! I donât think youâre alone at all in wanting to leave August where it should be, USED to be, in summer. In our town, school starts on August 17th. Well, kind of. It wonât be all of the kids, noisy and boisterous, excited to see friends they havenât seen all SUMMER, conglomerating around the school entrance. It will be a quiet online experience. Such are the times. Ew. Covid. But, school starting makes me think of fall and Iâm ready for it to get cool, crisp and colorful. Time drags on until that actually happens. By then, the mums are dead, Iâm tired of fall, ready for Halloween and itâs not even the end of September. Iâm with you! Letâs leave August in the summer!
Deb says
Lol. I have my fall wreath up already. Let me explain. All my beautiful flowers in my landscape are pooping out. My daylily foliage, formerly perky and lush and filled with blooms, is limp and yellowing, my alliums are dried out and stinky, my roses are down to 2 tiny blooms, my hosta foliage is also yellowing, and my hanging baskets are stringy and sad. I thought I still had a sunflower wreath that would bridge the seasons…but it also has mini pumpkins. Taking a deep breath, I placed it on my door, praying my new neighbors would understand. Truthfully, no one said a thing because weâre all in the house social distancing and waving at each other from moving cars. I did try and cover up the mini pumpkins with a birdâs nest I found but that nest had bugs in it. After the shrieks died down, I yanked off that nest and hosed down the wreath. Itâs a little limp now…
ashley @ the handmade home says
Haha! I totally feel you, Deb. All mine are dead too. We’re trying to finish up this cabana project and the flowers I worked to hard to keep alive all spring and summer just can’t be helped. As long as you don’t wear a sweater outside, I think you’re totally okay đ
Julie John says
Everyone missed the most important part…twinkies…I love twinkies…do an entire post about twinkies!
Pam says
Now I need a twinkie.
ashley @ the handmade home says
SAME.
ashley @ the handmade home says
HAHAHA! DONE!!!! I have this thing with snack cakes. It’s haunting me from my youth, when they didn’t care what they fed children.
Debbie says
I amen the amen!!!!! It drives me crazy!!
Linda K says
I’m with you sister, I live in Arizona and it will be 100 degrees in October, so fall to me is last day of October into November. I just can’t think fall when we are still swimming and wearing tank tops and shorts.
Hali Segelken says
I absolutely LOVE it when you write these kinds of posts!!!! You are hilarious and put into words all the things that I’m thinking!! We live in South Carolina and are right there with you in terms of heat and humidity! It’s tough to see people post about the fall and cooler weather right now…we won’t get that for at least two more months!!!
PS…my all time favorite post of yours was the unexpected person who knocks at the door and you don’t want to answer it…I’ve read it so many times…so funny!!!
ashley @ the handmade home says
HAHAHA! so glad I’m not alone! And thanks for letting me know – that’s especially true in the middle of rona. I’m all, NOPE. đ Stay well + hugs
Debbie says
I am sooo with you, please stop it’s still summer! When I want to buy fall stuff it’s all picked over! Love this post! You rock!!
Sandy Schwien says
I couldn’t have said it better!
Gretchen Simon says
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!! I agree completely! As a resident of CA (just 20 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge) Itâs flippin hot here and yes, I want to enjoy summer until itâs over. The pumpkins and mums can wait. đ
Debbie says
LOVED this post! I needed a good laugh today! Thanks!
Debbie says
Yes yes yes you are sooooo right!!! Leave summer alone I want to see pumpkins after Labor Day!!!! Please stop rushing everything!! AND PLEASE Dont put out Christmas b4 Thanksgiving or Halloween!! Retailers stop it!!
Terry says
Oh my gosh, I loved this so much! Thank you! It had to be said!