Eighinger: Summer, I’m going to miss you

There are three phases of summer. Unfortunately, we’re hitting the homestretch — phase three.

Whether you are a parent or grandparent, those carefree days and nights we have grown to love the past few months will soon be traded for the hustle and bustle of kids returning to class and all the related school activities that will accompany the fall and winter.It seems like only yesterday it was Memorial Day weekend.

Where did the days, weeks and months go? And if it seems like we have those very thoughts each and every year at this time, well … we do. It’s a part of that alleged circle of life thing. When Kathy and I were younger, this would be the time of year for last-minute school shopping for our four kids. And while those same kids are now in adult form, absolutely nothing has changed. We’re still running around like crazy trying to help with a half-dozen grandkids. And, of course, we wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Ah, but back to that three phases of summer thing. I found what I feel are three appropriate thoughts that sandwich the summer season into a more organized process. I think they help make the upcoming end of summer more tolerable. And if not more tolerable, at least bearable. Think back to the early days of summer. We were escaping not only the hold of winter, but the usual rainy days and bleakness of many spring days. Summer, at last, was here.

“Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August,” writes Jenny Han, an American author who specializes in fiction. I think that’s how most of us approach the calendar when “June” is the next page up. That, friends, is phase one.

As summer builds to a crescendo and we are in full hammock mode, we enjoy phase two, so well captured by Texas sports writer James Dent: “A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing and the lawn mower is broken.” Well said, Jim. Well said.

Phase two of summer, with apologies to the legendary Nat King Cole, is more or less those lazy, hazy, crazy of summer — those days of soda and pretzels and beer. 

And now, phase three. The end is near.

“To say it was a beautiful day would not begin to explain it,” well-known American writer Ann Patchett once philosophized. “It was a day when the end of summer intersects perfectly with the start of fall.”

We’re not there yet, but we’re getting close.

Summer, I’m going to miss you.

Found on Facebook

This week’s best from our favorite social media platform:

“Never buy flowers from a monk. Only YOU can prevent florist friars.”

“A huge stack of toilet paper fell on me in the supermarket. I’m OK, though. It’s just soft tissue damage.”

“I bought a new pair of shoes with memory soles. No more forgetting why I walked into the kitchen.”

“I always get nostalgic putting my car in reverse. It really takes me back.”

“I hate spelling errors. You mix up two letters and your whole post is urined.”

Overrated, underated, part cinq And yes, for those wondering, “cinq” is “five” in French. Why French? I don’t know Spanish

Overrated: Bryce Harper, the Phillies’ outfielder who will never be able to live up to the hype.

Underrated: Shohei Ohtani, the Angels’ outfielder-DH-pitcher who has already surpassed that same hype.

Overrated:  Jennifer Aniston. Ummm … what is it exactly she has accomplished since “Friends” ended?

Underrated: Norman Reedus. It will be interesting to see his next project once he’s done playing Daryl Dixon on “The Walking Dead” in early 2022.

Happy birthday

Halle Berry: The popular actress will turn 53 on Saturday.

Ben Affleck: The actor will be 49 on Sunday, which is secondary. The big question surrounding Affleck is whether or not he and J-Lo are officially getting back together.

Madonna: The singer will be 63 on Monday. Honestly, I thought she was older. Maybe it’s because she has not had a hit record in decades.

And in the gone, but not forgotten category of August birth dates:

Frank Gifford: The former NFL standout and longtime TV personality would have been 91 on Monday. He died at age 84 in 2015.

Julia Child: The famous TV chef would have been 109 Monday. She died at age 92 in 2004.

Jimmy Dean: The “Big Bad John” singer and businessman (“Jimmy Dean sausage”) would have been 93 this month. He died at age 81 in 2010.