June, June, June

June is just bustin' out all over.

It's a busy time of year – school gets out, summer is starting – clambakes are happening (can you tell I recently watched "Carousel"?) – and lots of special days are set aside in June. We've already acknowledged and celebrated D-Day (June 6). World Bicycle Day and National Egg Day were June 3, and National Hug Your Cat Day was June 4. National Cancer Survivor's Day was June 5, as was National Donut Day. June 8 was National Best Friends Day.

Coming up: Flag Day on June 14 (and National Blood Donor Day); Father's Day and Juneteenth on the 19th. One of my favorites is National Fudge Day on the 16th. International Surfing Day is June 20; National Selfie Day, International Yoga Day and the Summer Solstice are all on June 21. And June 29 is Hug Holiday; National Handshake Day is June 30.

Farmers Market has already started in Tehachapi, and people are already out on camping and fishing trips each weekend. Lots of people choose a June date to get married, and lots of graduations happen in June. Summer school and summer camps all typically start in June. The Women's College World Series (softball) is going on in June, and the NBA finals are in June; the US Open Golf Tournament is in June.

Oh, and I can't forget one near and dear to my heart: the whole month of June is Pride Month, with the last Sunday of the month (this year it's the 26th) being the day with most of the big parades and celebrations.

Did I miss anything? Yes I certainly did; I left out a lot as I have limited space here. For many reasons personal June calendars are full, and besides the annual celebrations and happenings, pretty much every day has some sort of special designation; some are rather solemn, some are fun, some are just a little ludicrous. But hey, any excuse for festivities and revelry seems all right to me!

I like celebrations; I especially like celebrating the little things. For instance, this month some of my friends are enjoying the first blooms of their flowers or vegetables, or the first buds on their tomato plants. People who have and tend their gardens regularly are noticing new things every day in their yards and are happily putting some of those efforts on their tables.

Aside from the fact that many of us can't figure out how it got to be June so fast (time flies, as some say, whether you're having a good time or not), we're glad it's here. Somehow June feels like a new, sunny time, the beginning of summer and outdoor activities and slower, longer, easier days ("summertime, when the livin' is easy ... fish are jumpin'... and the cotton is high ..." – sorry, I'm just in a musicals state of mind today).

I guess I just love summer. Actually, my favorite season is always the next one, so it makes sense that it's June and I'm done with Spring and ready for my favorite season: summer. I've already sat outside in the sun a few days, been to a garden tea party with friends, marveled at the flowers growing in front of my house that I do very little to encourage but appreciate a great deal. I've got day trips planned and I love that it stays light so much later these days.

I also love reminiscing and remembering past Junes, everything from attending church and girl scout camps to camp counseling to sitting outside at drive-in movies to working in the fields and gardens in Iowa to playing and umpiring softball games to traveling and visiting friends and/or just seeing different states and territories to attending Pride parades and celebrations to working or visiting craft fairs to barbecues to enjoying a good summer read by the river or on the beach or on my own front porch.

Did I miss anything again? Yep, I did. Too many June memories to mention. Junes have always been full and fun months and just because things are a little harder in the world today, I see no reason to change that this year.

Happy June to you all!

© 2022 Mel White/Mel Makaw. Mel, local writer and photographer, has been looking on the bright side for various publications since 1996. She welcomes your comments at [email protected].