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The summer has just begun and already I am missing it.

It flies by as fast as a hummingbird drinking nectar out of your feeder. You take a minute to admire its amazing beauty and maneuverability, and the next minute, it takes off in the breeze. That’s summer for you in Beltrami County. So, you better get out and enjoy it.

Wood ticks
I did find a teeny tiny wood tick on me the other day. I’m watching the bite mark where I pulled it off. I guess ticks remind us to stay on trails and not go in tall grass where they are waiting to bounce on susceptible candidates, whether they be man or beast. Why God made ticks remains a mystery. Noah should have booted them off the ark, but then what would we talk about?

Weather
We are lucky to live in this area. We haven’t experienced extreme heat like they have in the south, and we haven’t experienced the floods they are having in my hometown of Waterville, Minnesota. The only thing we have to complain about is the mosquitoes, but the dragonflies come to rescue us. It’s as if Mother Nature sends armies and armies to Beltrami County, like the National Guard of mosquitoes.

We have had our share of rain but needed it after the drought we experienced last summer and fall. Overall, things are looking good. Everything is so lush and green. We are lucky we don’t have to sharpen our lawnmower blades like they did 70 years ago.

Things always seem to even out for us. If we have a long winter, we have a good summer to make up for it. If we have a warm winter, we have a cool summer. I'm okay with whatever Mother Nature orders for us as long as she doesn’t mess with our fall.

Haying
It’s haying time, and I remember when I could lift a 50-pound bale of hay and toss it on the wagon. Farmers had square bales and were concerned about getting them in the barn before the rains came. Several times, I helped farmers load and unload bales of hay. It was hard work, but I was satisfied when it was done. Nothing is better than putting in a good, hard day’s work that makes you sweat. It’s as if you just came in from a rainstorm.

It’s too bad, in a way, that we now have the big round bales. Loading square bales was something every young person should experience. Rest in the shade of the hay wagon, maybe drink a bottle of ice-cold Coca-Cola kept cold from a block of ice harvested from a nearby lake; life couldn’t get much better. Feeling the hay down your back, that’s living! I would give a farmer a $20 bill to experience that one more time.

Parades
We have the parades coming up. I plan to be in my usual three: Debs, Red Lake and Bemidji. I might also make it to Northome and Gonvick, two other fine parades.

This year, I will throw cards with a Jolly Rancher taped on them, saying, "You will be jolly when you graduate high school." They will also say, "Having struggles in school? Call our hotline number: (218) 444-STAY."

We must be relentless in our efforts to graduate our students. This doesn’t mean we should be lax in our standards — that would be unfair. We have to look for ways to convince young people that they cannot leave school without their diplomas. We are adults. We are smart. We should be able to do this.

Country roads
One of the highlights of driving our country roads is the opportunity to see wildlife, which we have in abundance in northern Minnesota. Returning from Red Lake last week and driving on the Nebish Road going east, I saw what I thought was a horse about to cross the road. The closer I got to it, I could see it wasn’t a horse but someone’s black steer that got loose. Then I realized it wasn’t a steer or horse but a good-sized black bear.

It crossed the road about 60 feet ahead of me and shuffled down the ditch and into a field adjacent to a woods. Boy, that’s exciting. I’m sorry, but I can find no reason why someone would want to shoot one of these beautiful creatures. I realize we need to thin out the whitetail deer population for safety reasons, but they, too, are wonderful to see. Sometimes, I will park my car alongside the road and watch them browsing in a field. It’s like watching birds at your feeder; a person just never tires of seeing Mother Nature’s finest gifts to us.

Nature stories
Every so often, you experience something extra noteworthy out of doors. I could talk about the three walleye I recently caught weighing 3, 5 and 8 pounds, but I would rather tell you about a swan and a snapping turtle. My brother told me about his neighbor who saw a swan flopping around in the water. It was bobbing up and down and obviously in a panic mode. The neighbor went out to investigate. She discovered that a huge snapping turtle had grabbed the swan by the leg and was trying to pull it underwater to drown it. She picked up a shovel and hit the turtle over the head until it finally let go.

Sometimes, Mother Nature needs a little help.

Summertime, summertime
My favorite summertime song is by a group called the Jamies. It was released in 1958. Many of you old-timers have heard of it. The lyrics are:

"It's summertime summertime sum sum summertime
Summertime summertime sum sum summertime
Summertime summertime sum sum summertime
Summertime summertime sum sum summertime summertime...

"Well shut them books and throw 'em away
And say goodbye to dull school days
Look alive and change your ways
It's summertime…"

Yes, it’s summertime, and we need to look alive and change our ways because it’s summertime in Beltrami County.

Riddle: Why are fish so gullible? (Answer: They always fall for the bait.) Before you know it, fall will be here. Get out and enjoy our summer.

See you at the Debs, Red Lake and Bemidji parades.

John R. Eggers of Bemidji is a former university professor and area principal. He also is a writer and public speaker.