“It’s coming up to September already,” said Cliff Murray the other morning, shaking his head as the guys sat down at Mabel’s Grill for their morning coffee. “Where did the summer go?”

“Yeh my wife’s already going through recipe books looking for things she can make for the fall fair,” said George Mackenzie. “It always makes for some good taste-testing while she’s trying things out.”

“I guess I’m not a good citizen,” sighed Dave Winston. “I could never get excited about showing off cattle or horses at the fair.”

“Good job you have pigs then, so you never have to worry about taking your pigs out of the barn to show them,” said George.

“So, what can I get you guys this morning?” asked Molly Whiteside as she arrived to take their orders and bring them coffee on a busy morning at The Grill.

“Another few weeks of summer,” complained Cliff.

“Well, there’s often weeks yet of summer weather in September. I haven’t notice the leaves changing colour yet,” Molly chirped.

“Oh, she’s in one of her cheerful moods this morning,” said Dave.

“Sure, why not? We live in a peaceful country with plenty of food on the table,” Molly answered.

“And you get tips for providing the food we guys grow for you,” grumbled Cliff.

“Well I’d starve if I depended on tips from you three,” Molly shot back. “Now, what can I get you before you make me so depressed I slash my wrists?”

The guys ordered and Molly headed back to the kitchen.

“I guess we could always stretch summer by taking a vacation somewhere to the south,” George suggested in what was a downright cheerful offering coming from him.

“I came out of the barn last night and as I headed back to the house it was downright quiet,” said Dave. “No tractors going. No cars on the road. I heard this jet going over, way up high and I thought there are 200 or 300 people up there and they’re almost invisible to me down here. I wonder what they’re thinking about us?’”

“They’re probably looking down on us, like city people normally do,” said Cliff.

“You definitely didn’t sleep well last night did you?” asked Dave. “You’re usually the cheerful one.”

“If they see my cattle, they’re probably saying there’s another farmer who pollutes the air, while they’re travelling someplace they don’t need to go burning jet fuel!” grumbled George.

“Good grief, now I’ve got two of you in a grumpy mood!” sighed Dave.

“Well people travel so much these days that I saw something on television the other day that nearly 1,000 people a year try to climb Mount Everest,” said Cliff. “There are actually skeletons up there of people who die trying and can’t be rescued. I remember my father talking about Ed Hillary being the first person to make it up to the top in 1953. Now we’ve got a thousand people a year climbing.”

“We barely had that many people flying, period, back in 1953,” said George. “Airports were tiny by comparison to today. Yet it’s us farmers and our cows who get blamed for climate change, not all the people who are taking jets to places they don’t need to go!”

“I thought you didn’t believe in global warming,” Dave said.

“Well I’m just saying!” George exploded as Molly arrived with her arms full of plates.

“Still in a good mood, I see,” she said as she gave them their food. “Mabel’s on top of her game this morning so I hope good food picks up your spirits.

“I doubt it, they just fell off Mount Everest,” Dave joked.

“Huh?” wondered a bewildered Molly.

“Never mind, they’ll soon get over the September blahs,” said Dave. ◊