August, the eighth month of the year, is named after the Roman emperor, Augustus Caesar (63 BCE—14AD.) It comprises the last month of Summer, and serves as a favorite vacation time for many people. If one were to ask: “What comes to mind when you think of August?”  Most folks would opine hot, humid, and the end of summer — not favorable terms.

In 1837 London, however, Charles Dickens (1812—1870) described the eighth month quite differently, with a fond remembrance:

“There is no month in the whole year, in which nature wears a more beautiful appearance than in the month of August. Spring has many beauties, and May is a fresh and blooming month, but the charms of this time of year are enhanced by their contrast with the winter season. August has no such advantage. It comes when we remember nothing but clear skies, green fields, and sweet-smelling flowers — when the recollection of snow, and ice, and bleak winds, has faded from our minds as completely as they have disappeared from the earth — and yet what a pleasant time it is! “ (The Pickwick Papers, chapter XVI by Charles Dickens, Oxford University Press.)

Understandably, the latitude of London sets 10 degrees north of New York City, so the summers should be shorter and less severe, and the winters more intolerable.

Dickens’ August reflection described a time when the earth was cooler. Today, we know and feel the “dog days” of August, a phrase describing the unbearable swelter on a hot, humid, windless day in midsummer. In Major League Baseball, the dog days refers to the time when strong, virile men wilt under the constant play and the penetrating heat. it’s like “hitting the wall” during a marathon, when the runner has drained his reservoir of strength, and must continue by burning muscle and bone.

The Gladiola, August’s official flower, captures the essence of late, sunny summer days, and represents remembrance, calm, integrity and infatuation. (The Old Farmer’s Almanac) For school children, August brings the last days of freedom, new school supplies, clothes and shoes, and reunion with school chums.

Lastly, August includes several special days. My favorite: August 21, National Senior Citizen Day, introduced by no less than a senior citizen, President Ronald Reagan, who issued a 1988 Proclamation to honor the contributions older citizens have made to home, family and society.