Summertime in the City

Vol. I No. 1 - FALL 1988

Boy, what a summer this has been; can’t remember one hotter than this! You used to be able to depend on the Farmer’s Almanac. Guess that was before ozone and the "greenhouse effect" gave new meaning to "those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer" we used to sing about.

Still and all, dad appreciated the dry weather and long daylight for scraping peeling paint off the sides of the old house, making needed repairs on the gutters and tinkering with the cars. Seems something always needs fixing. Mom’s been feeling poorly so Missy, our 13-year-old pooch, has made it her business to follow her around wherever she goes.

Sis, now Dr. Donna, took a job with the Oak Park Animal Hospital after graduating with honors from U of I Vet School and is doing nicely. Grandma, 97 last April, doesn’t hear or walk as well as she used to, but still balances her own checkbook and enjoys raiding Ponderosa’s salad bar for watermelon every chance she gets.

Spent July 4th weekend on my brother’s boat. Baking potatoes stuffed with a slice of onion in aluminum foil (it helps to keep them moist) and the smell of dinner on the grill brought back fond memories of camping trips with our family all around Lake Michigan two weeks every summer when we were kids.

Sister-in-law Mary and I were perfectly comfortable, stretched like lazy cats in the sunshine on the prow of the boat … the sound of lapping waves … a million miles from nowhere in the middle of the lake, so it seemed. I wished it could last forever.

You know, summer wasn’t bad after all. Autumn, with its sweet smells and glorious colors, is just around the bend. Before you know it, Thanksgiving will be here. This year I’m going to have a lot to be thankful for, just like Rev. Isfan in the next article.

S.A.