“Science has never drummed up quite as effective a tranquilizing agent as a sunny spring day.”
The roads were heavy with people and cars this morning. I sat for a bit at the light, the fifth car in line. My breakfast place was filled, only one booth was empty. Down the street, at the Pancake Man, the lot was filled. As I was stopped at a red light on the way home, I watched well-dressed couples, most of them elderly, go into church. When I passed by the golf course, I saw golfers at every hole. The sun has brought the world alive.
On sunny days my mother sent us outside. We weren’t allowed to waste a good day. The little kids stayed close to home. My sisters used to haul out their dolls and sit and play on the steps. They always changed their voices for doll-speak. My brother sometimes went fishing. He’d jump on his bike and ride all the way to Horn Pond in the next town over. He’d catch perch, carp and catfish and be gone all day. I went with him a couple of times but mostly he went alone. I’d ride my bike a lot. I loved the joy of riding down hills or bicycling with no hands on the handlebars, a trick which took me a long time to learn. I used to cross my arms and pedal down the street. I always felt a bit smug.
Being outside riding my bike on sunny days made my face tan and fill with freckles, which were a gift from my mother. My father, working in the yard, used to tan the darkest of all of us. I remember his left arm was always darker than his right. He called it his trucker’s tan.
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keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
May 2, 2010 at 1:00 pm
Sunny and quite warm here all day today 🙂 It´s been a wonderful last day before getting back to work! Now I only have to find a way to become a multi milionair fast, because I´ve gotten used to (and love it) to be home all day 🙂 🙂 🙂
Like Your brother I used to fish those days, but mostly down at the harbour. It´s brackish water down there so I could get anything from cods to perch. But in those days the water was anything but clean, so I never dared to eat any of them 🙂 🙂 Today it´s a totally different thing. The water is so clean that people takes baths almost in the centre of the city.
Have a great day now!
Christer.
May 2, 2010 at 7:15 pm
Christer,
My irrigation system and my outside shower got turned on today-it’s been quite warm enough for the lawn to need water.
Sorry about your having to go back to work.
My brother is now a fly fishing guide here on the Cape so he has continued his love of fishing.
Boston Harbor has also had a miraculous cleaning.
May 2, 2010 at 3:56 pm
I am completely frustrated, beautiful weekdays and rainy weekends. We went down to Comerica Park on a summer like Friday night to watch America’s team (The Detroit Tigers) thrash the LA Angels.
Of course, it has rained ever since and more promised for later tonight. My garden calls, the dead white pine needs to be removed, the beds turned over and the edging done. But I wait
May 2, 2010 at 7:17 pm
My Dear Hedley,
I swear that it is the revenge of the gods when weekends are rainy. It was like that all summer one year.
I have been watching the TV and seen the Red Sox take even more of a dive.
My grass was so dry it was getting brown. The system was turned on today so the sprinklers will start tomorrow morning. I’m on the way to my first outside shower of the season.
May 2, 2010 at 7:05 pm
We fished on the Potomac at a sailing marina that I ended up working for during High School summers. But YAY to bike riding with no hands on the bar. WOW! We were crazy back then.
May 2, 2010 at 7:18 pm
Z&Me,
I like to think we were clever back then!
I like the relaxation of fishing. Catching something isn’t even all that important.