Well, it’s that time again. The sun is setting a little earlier, the cicadas are screaming a little louder, and I am — well, reluctantly — dragging out the storage bins. Because on Aug. 16, I move back to Wartburg College. Whether I’m emotionally ready or not. (I’m not.)

To be clear, I’m not packing with excitement. I’m packing because I signed up for this whole “college” thing and you can’t quit junior year. I’m packing because the world expects me to “attend the college I pay tuition at” and “show up to class”. Not because I’m dying to return to the land of overpriced textbooks and lukewarm cafeteria coffee.

But such is life.

This summer? It’s been special. I’ve had the absolute privilege of continuing my work here at the Tama-Toledo News Chronicle, and I don’t say “privilege” lightly. In fact, it’s been two and a half years of writing for this paper now. Two and a half years of headlines, highlights, human stories, and ham dinners. And this summer especially, I’ve felt more connected to this community than ever before.

I’ve been out covering festivals, sports, open houses, fundraisers, and one truly impressive sidewalk celebration that I’ll just say was one of my favorite events all summer. I’ve seen this town’s heartbeat up close–people showing up, helping out, coming together. It’s reminded me why local news matters, and why I do this in the first place.

Outside of work, I’ve stayed busy. Perhaps too busy. There was my “colorful” trip to California (see last week’s column, if you dare), and a much more pleasant trip to Denver this past weekend. I will say this: I am done with vacations for a while. I’m officially on a no-travel diet. Give me cornfields and Iowa nice over airport chaos any day.

I’ve also cherished sharing an office with Michael D. Davis–my co-worker, one of my closest friends, and a man whose full name I’ll use only when we’re being serious. But to me, he’s just Mike. Just Mike. (That sounds like a knock-off of this column. Hands off, Mike.)

As I head back to Waverly, I want to make something clear: I might not be in Tama full-time anymore, but I’m not disappearing. I’ll keep writing, keep covering, keep telling the stories that matter — whether I’m 60 miles away or six blocks. And when I need to be here, believe me, I’ll be here. The drive’s not bad, and neither is the gossip.

And of course, I’ll continue my hawk-level Facebook surveillance of local events. You post a fundraiser, a new business, a suspiciously large zucchini — I’ll see it. I might even message you about it. That’s just what I do.

So while the summer winds down and I prepare to re-enter the land of academia and “syllabi,” I’m holding on to every bit of what made this summer meaningful: the coffee invites (shoutout to Cat Campbell), the people who trust me with their stories, the joy of writing with purpose, and the little moments that remind me why I love this work–and this place.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for waving at me as I run. Thank you for trusting me with your events, your milestones, and sometimes your cucumbers.

I’ll still be writing. Still be watching.

Still be Just Jonathan.