The other morning on our walk the mayor looked at the fireman stuck in the flowers in the garden across from the firehall and opined, “I should have put him up higher.” The flowers almost completely screened the statue from sight. I learned two things that morning. First, that the mayor was in charge of placing that statue. Who knew? Second, that the mayor had an opinion on how visible the statue should be. The interesting thing about the opining about the statue was that the flowers were brilliant and beautiful and frankly, I’d never actually noticed the statue before. I had noticed the flowers every late summer and have included pictures of them in at least one if not a couple of bulletins.
It was really hot last Saturday, nearly oppressive. Now I like hot weather but even I will admit that last Saturday’s weather would be better taken near the ocean or a lake. My family never had a lake cabin. We had relatives who did and one summer I went up to the cabin with my uncle Jim and his family. That was the summer my uncle Jim taught me how to clean the fish we caught. I think we had fish every day that week. It’s one of my best childhood memories.
My brother never got to go to a cabin and I think he missed it the most. When he grew up and got a job, and then a really big job he moved his family to a home on Lake Butte des Morts. The house was over 100 years old when Charlie moved there. He added two bedrooms to the three that were there so his son and daughter could each have a bedroom looking out on the lake. I think that was my brother’s ideal from his childhood. I’m not sure my niece and nephew have ever understood or appreciated it as much as my brother.
It is supposed to be oppressively hot again at the end of this week—Friday and Saturday. As I walk I try to remind myself that I do like the warmth and that soon enough again, it will be winter. G