Let’s Squeeze the Days of Summer!
Submitted by Jennifer Morrow on 8/22/2026
We just finished the second week of school here in St. John’s County, Florida, and a few recent encounters inspired this Garden Journal entry. On Wednesday (August 19), my daughter excitedly told me on the way to high school that Dunkin released its fall drinks that day. While bummed that she wouldn’t have one of the latest sugar-filled autumn creations in hand when arriving at school, she just pulled up Dunkin’s fall menu to review. We had a good laugh at how similar the drinks sounded, and I, of course, proclaimed, “It’s not even fall yet”!
While running errands another morning last week, I spontaneously went to First Watch for a weekday solo brunch to fuel up before a noon video call. When I sat down, they handed me both the regular menu and, you guessed it, the fall menu! I even took a picture to document the fall menu’s date range (August 18 to October 26). I didn’t take the bait and ordered off the normal menu. I tried the Rustica Frittata as-is, and it was a nice treat with lemon water, dining al fresco on the covered patio before the Florida summer sun could get to me.
By now, we have all come to expect Halloween decorations and pumpkin spice everything alongside back-to-school supplies. It makes me sad that we, as a society, rush through the seasons so quickly. Our ancestors didn’t have that “luxury” and literally ate what was in season because, well, that was their only option. I so appreciate that I can grab that bag of Mellowcreme pumpkins even in August (it’s been tempting - ha!), but I truly want to squeeze every drop of these last days of summer.
Despite being bombarded with the fall menus and store displays, there are over four weeks of summer left to savor! So, I am going to challenge myself to set intentions around late-summer joys while anticipating the shift ahead. The first day of fall is September 22 this year, and I will definitely be embracing my favorite season… let’s just let it get there, naturally!