'Lazy days of Indian summer' were Singleton's favorite time of year

George Buster Singleton

(For decades, local historian and paranormal investigator George “Buster” Singleton published a weekly newspaper column called “Somewhere in Time.” The column below, which was titled “The golden days are here again,” was originally published in the Oct. 13, 1983 edition of The Monroe Journal in Monroeville, Ala.)

The cool, brisk mornings and the gradual coloring creeping across the landscape remind us that the golden days of October are here again.

The lazy days of Indian summer are my favorite time of year. I long for distant places and the desire to see beyond the next hill grips my every moment. The restless mood grows stronger as the nights grow a little more crisp and the golden sunsets make it seem as though the western skies are all aflame.

Man, with all his wisdom, has not been able to give reason as to why his feelings change so dramatically with the seasons. The greatest changes come with the first breaking of spring and the coming of Indian summer.

During this time, all things seem different as the lazy days approach. Food tastes better, and the rippling streams seem not to rush as rapidly as during the other times of the year. The beautiful goldenrods make their debut across the countryside. Their golden heads sway to and fro in the sighing winds, which become more brisk with the passing day.

The desire to climb the highest hill and watch the autumn sun fade into memory becomes an obsession. Each day is savored as one would gradually taste the last of his favorite food, letting the taste linger as long as possible for a lasting pleasure.

And when the shadows fall and the evening steals away across the heavens, a feeling of regret comes over you because perhaps you could have done something else that would have made the day more enjoyable.

Perhaps there is a purpose behind all this. Perhaps the Giver of All Things, the Great Creator set forth this time for re-evaluation of the spirit or the spiritual healing of the soul.

The old Indian legends state that the days of the golden summer are a time for planning. A time to look ahead, a time for preparation. A time to prepare for the long winter months, a time to prepare for the coming years. A time to seek wisdom, and a time to look beyond the sunset.

Yes, these are the days of the golden month. The days when the Master Painter strokes the horizon with his giant paintbrush, and the days when all is well within our souls.

These are the days when the spirits mount up with wings as great eagles, and soar aloft to a special time and a special place. To the highest hill, where the winds whisper and golden rays of the setting sun race across the heavens as evening comes and shadows fade.

(Singleton, the author of the 1991 book “Of Foxfire and Phantom Soldiers,” passed away at the age of 79 on July 19, 2007. A longtime resident of Monroeville, he was born to Vincent William Singleton and Frances Cornelia Faile Singleton, during a late-night thunderstorm, on Dec. 14, 1927 in Marengo County, graduated from Sweet Water High School in 1946, served as a U.S. Marine paratrooper in the Korean War, worked as a riverboat deckhand, lived for a time among Apache Indians, was bitten at least twice by venomous snakes, moved to Monroe County on June 28, 1964 and served as the administrator of the Monroeville National Guard unit from June 28, 1964 to Dec. 14, 1987. He was promoted from the enlisted ranks to warrant officer in May 1972. For years, Singleton’s columns, titled “Monroe County history – Did you know?” and “Somewhere in Time” appeared in The Monroe Journal, and he wrote a lengthy series of articles about Monroe County that appeared in Alabama Life magazine. It’s believed that his first column appeared in the March 25, 1971 edition of The Monroe Journal. He also helped organize the Monroe County Museum and Historical Society and was also a past president of that organization. He is buried in Pineville Cemetery in Monroeville. The column above and all of Singleton’s other columns are available to the public through the microfilm records at the Monroe County Public Library in Monroeville. Singleton’s columns are presented here each week for research and scholarship purposes and as part of an effort to keep his work and memory alive.)