Posted tagged ‘summer’

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“We’re gonna need a bigger boat!”

June 30, 2010

Today is the perfect summer day, the one I’d fashion if Mother Nature suddenly bequeathed to me her wondrous powers. It is sunny and dry and cool. I sat out on the deck with my coffee and papers, and it took me a long while to finish. I kept stopping to take in the beauty of the morning.

The coolness had made the backyard denizens more active. Chickadees flew in and out over my head to the feeders and one was close enough to touch. I wanted to offer it my finger as a perch, but the little bird grabbed a sunflower seed and took off to another branch. The beasties too were active. They were chasing each other from branch to branch, and a couple were running through the backyard. I could hear the rustle of leaves.

Great white sharks have been sighted off the Cape coast just in time for the July 4th holiday. They must have seen Jaws and figured they’d audition for a part in a sequel: Jaws 5 or 6, I forget which. I stopped counting when one great white chased the Brody family to Florida.

Reports indicate the great whites are enjoying the ocean up and down the coast. Off the South Shore, not too far from here, a baby was spotted, a 200 pound bouncing baby white. I wondered where its siblings were. It seems great whites give birth to five to 10 pups at a time.

According to the state environmental affairs office, there is nothing to fear. Given my skepticism, I needed to find out for myself so I looked them up. It seems great white sharks will eat any other creature found in the ocean. That gave me pause. I kept seeing little Alex Kintner in Jaws who was having a fine old time swimming with his raft and kicking his feet. We all know what happened to little Alex Kintner. I kept reading. I’m now happy to report that more people are killed by dogs each year than have been killed by great whites in recorded history. I feel better now, but I’m keeping my eye on the neighbors’ dogs.

Categories: Musings
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“Twilight drops her curtain down, and pins it with a star.”

June 29, 2010

Last night it rained, but it rained so gently we sat outside, my friends and I, and let the drops cool us. After the rain, we wiped off the table and chairs, sat down and ate dinner together, a summer dinner of hot dogs and fresh corn. A breeze cooled the night air. The fireflies are back.

Today is hot but drier than yesterday. Nothing is moving. Gracie sleeps in the cool sand under the deck. When she surfaces, the bottom of her muzzle is covered with sand. She shakes her head and the sand flies all over. At least she’s cool.

Duke was the boxer we had for nearly fifteen years when I was growing up. On hot summer days, he’d walk through the water to the sprinkler, stop the whirling arms with his paw and take a cold drink. He’d let go of the sprinkler then shake off the wet as he walked away. An arc of water spread around him when he shook. It shined in the sunlight.

We never went camping when I was a kid. My father knew neat stuff like making a making a lean-to in the woods, and he loved to fish, but my mother wasn’t at all the outdoor type. I can’t imagine camping ever appealed to her. My brother and his friend used to camp in the woods near a lake a few miles from our house. He’d use a tarp for a tent and blankets for a sleeping bag. My brother brought Duke for protection against the unknown, but Duke wasn’t much for camping. He’d walk back home unless my brother tied him to a tree.

I never went camping in the woods, but I used to sleep in the backyard. My friend and I would put down a tarp then bring out our pillows and a few snacks. We’d both lie on our backs looking at the stars before falling asleep. There were so many stars when I was kid. The sky was filled with light, with a blanket of stars bright enough to read by. I loved lying there looking across the sky. It was so beautiful I felt almost giddy with wonder.

Categories: Musings
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“How sweet I roamed from field to field, and tasted all the summer’s pride.”

May 14, 2010

Today is cloudy and damp and dark. The sky is whitish gray. It’s a drab day.

When I was a kid, everything was a toy. A flat rock was skimmed across the surface of the pond in a contest of sorts. Four was usually the winner. Big rocks were balancing boards, and we’d stand with our feet spaced and our arms straight out as we tilted faster and faster. Jumping from one huge rock to the other was a game at the beach leading to the end of the jetty where the ocean crashed.

Sticks came in all useful shapes and sizes. Some were swords, and we’d be Robin Hood and the Sheriff or any good guy and bad guy. We’d make swords sounds when the blades crashed against each other. A broken sword was total defeat. Other times, sticks were bats hitting at rocks while one of us called balls and strikes. Another stick was good at the swamp for dragging stuff out of the water. It had to be short, thick and strong. The one to use walking in the woods had to be tall and straight.

Bugs were the best fun. Catching grasshoppers from the field below my house was where I’d spend many summer hours. It was a wild field and only got rain water so its tall grass turned brown early, by mid-summer. The grass was alive with grasshoppers. I’d run, scaring them to jump, cup my hands and try to catch one in the air. When I did, I’d hold it in my hands and peek through to watch. Later, I’d let it go. Grasshoppers always left suspicious brown spots on my hands. Fireflies were a summer wonder. Their lights blinked all across the field. I’d use a jar with air holes poked in the top and trap one then I’d watch it through the sides of the jar as it miraculously lit a small piece of the darkness. I’d keep it only a while then I’d let my firefly go. I’d follow it with my eyes until I’d lost it in the field of fireflies.

Categories: Musings
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