Friday, May 25, 2012

Summer is Here…Unofficially






Memorial Day weekend is finally upon us, along with the unofficial start of summer.

How cool is that…unofficially?

And, unofficially, I’m pretty excited about the whole thing.

The beaches are opening…the BBQ’s are lighting…the flips are flopping.

And everyone gets to enjoy a three day weekend to boot!

Again…unofficially…..

I don’t really get the whole “unofficial” qualifier.

I mean, obviously, I know all about the whole solstice thing in a few weeks. We even throw a big party to celebrate.

Mostly because no one else does.

In fact, I already have a call into my Druid and Morris Dancer guy.  I don’t want to get shut out again, like last year, and end up with those cut rate Druids who made a mess of the whole human sacrifice thing. 

Plus they don’t clean up after themselves like the real ones do.

But the Solstice is mostly a celestial thing. 

For the most part everyone thinks of Memorial Day as the actual start of the summer season.

So why not just make it official….officially.

I mean we’ve already diminished the true meaning of the day anyway, just like we do all the other holidays we’ve co opted and moved to Mondays for the long weekend and extended sale days.

So let’s just drop the pretense.



What…were a afraid of a few noisy Mystics and Druids?

Believe me…I know Mystics and Druids. They’re all smoke and hot air.



Officially, Z and I still have a lot of Memorial Day deadline work to get in.

You know…the types of things you put on yourself as a way of getting things done before you settle in to enjoy all those lazy hazy daze.

Like putting the finishing touches on our garden planting and mulching.

Putting away our winter clothes.

Putting the screens in the doors.


Returning the Zamboni.

You know… those kinds of things.



Plus I should probably clean out the grill and get rid of all the accumulated grease, left over from the Carter administration.

This year I was thinking of molding a sculpture of myself with it.

I usually try to do a clown…but it always comes out looking like me anyway.

So why go through all that bother of trying to get the buttons right.

Then we’ll probably go to at least a couple of holiday cook outs.  But one’s with Z’s family, which means I’ll spend most of my time fetching drinks, since most of them still think I’m the waiter.

Another possible party situation could be with some old friends, who go way, way back.  They don’t think I’m the waiter, but they still ask me to get them drinks.

I guess it’s the white jacket…and the bowtie.

If we’re lucky we might be able to get a few hours of beach time in.

The first day out is always exciting cuz you get to see all the regulars again and wonder what happened to all the regulars you don’t see.

Elbow Man…Bad Body Betty…Woeful Wedgie Man with the bad tan…Loud Talking Twosome….

There’re a lot more. I could go on and on. I haven’t even broached the life guards yet.

I’m “Too Many Towel Guy”…or at least that’s what I would call myself if I could see myself objectively…which is, you know…impossible.

I outlined the reasons for that moniker in myofficial” beach discourse last year.

So after all the cloudy dank weather we’ve had for most of the week, a trip to the beach would be nice…but only unofficially.

But official or not…the summer is here. 

The humidity will follow….

As will the sound of backs snap, crackle popping like Rice Krispies as we wrestle with our air conditioners, trying to combat it.

Then along come the lightening bugs and their evil mosquito cousins.

Trips to Carvel's for ice cream.




Clear starry nights and steamy summer mornings.






Ice tea, pink lemonade…and did I mention the gin and tonics.



The summer is here and I for one plan to enjoy all of it—every single summer second of it— without looking ahead or counting down to Labor Day…the “unofficial” end of summer…which is only 101 measly days away.

I’m just saying….


Unofficially…..

_______________________________________


From Memorial Day 2011
I WANT AN EXPLANATION!


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