September in the Rain

    “30 days hath September, April, June and the speed offender.”

                           — Burma Shave Highway marker

 

Another turn of the calendar page and it’s September. Five family birthdays. A wedding, a workshop, some visits with old friends. With 18 years as a student and 45 as a teacher, my real New Year, worthy of renewed vows and fresh starts and the perpetual hope that this year will bend just a little bit closer to justice and happiness. 

 

I awoke to the new month with a surprising sound— rain on the windowpane. Rain that is not due in San Francisco until November, but hey, the weather gods don’t care any more— it’s chaos out there! Well, the plants are happy to get a bit of refreshment and rain is always welcome in California. For me, also a good excuse to remember the old jazz standard September in the Rainby Harry Warren and then September Song  by Kurt Weil and of course, the old 60’s tune See You in September. (For 50 points, who sang that? When I looked it up, I realized I never heard of the group! Check it out.) I’m going to play my usual Friday piano at The Jewish Home for the Aged today— I feel a medley coming on!

 

Being a modern researcher, I looked up September songs online and in addition to the ones above, some others:

 

• Maybe September:sung by Tony Bennett (May he RIP)

• September: Earth, Wind and Fire

• Wake Me Up When September Ends:  Green Day

• September When It Comes: Johnny Cash

• September Morn: Neil Diamond

 

And yet more. Perhaps up there with June as the month most sung about. (Now there’s a tempting project, but I have other things to do today.)

 

So hail to September! May the children and teachers be happy in school, the birthday parties be fun, the fires be quenched, the criminals who defiled our democracy be held accountable, the writer’s strike end and Stephen Colbert return to the airwaves. And if more September rain comes, why, it’s welcome.