The dog days of summer are here. They always set the backdrop for certain activities, high among them everything involving the back-to-school rush. This week students picked up schedules amid the final paving of the MHS drive and parking lot. It seems this project has been going on all summer. School starts soon and that traditional marker for the end of the summer season, Labor Day, is not far off. We’ll then ask the question we ask each year, “Where did the summer go?”
I don’t know about yours, but ours warped right by as it always does. It seems that we make far more plans for the summer than we have summer in which to do them! This season has been no different. The Gardener’s new garden plot has been fruitful, but not bountiful as the local wildlife found it to be so. The deer, probably aided by a rabbit or two, have dined on all of the bean plants, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbages. There are only stumps in those rows. On the plus side, the tomatoes are doing very well as are the cucumbers, peppers and of course, zucchini. We’ve already made a batch of sweet relish. The jury is still out on how well the onions and potatoes are doing.
Of course, the Gardener is already making plans for the changes to next year’s garden. They include a fence and unbelievably more space. He’s making that list for next summer already. No wonder we never get everything done; we start out each new summer season in the hole with a list we began the past summer.
This week brought my two oldest friends Sue and Liz, and me together for a long overdue reunion of the Blevins Street girls. We used to get together regularly to be silly, go for lunch, shop or do a craft project and be silly some more. But, like the summer, those years have gone by too quickly. We don’t do crafts any longer, which is likely a good thing, and shopping ain’t like it used to be. We do however still like to do lunch, be silly and laugh a lot and we wouldn’t trade that for all the shopping we could do online.
We met up at our place and as is our easy custom, slipped into the bounds of our long, long friendship. We have a lot of memories in common and that, generally, is where the silliness comes in. There is nothing like laughter and good memories. Eventually we headed to town for a lunch which none of us had to cook. That is always a great treat. We enjoyed our breakfast/lunch and conversation at the Dream Diner. We plan to get together somewhere within the realm of Marion again soon, just like we did in the good old days. In the meantime, we’ve got texting.
In one of those meant to be moments, we found Ken Richardson and daughters Pam and Darci having lunch at the Dream on Tuesday, too. We stopped to say hello and to tell Ken how fit as a fiddle he’s looking these days, not at all like a guy a couple of years past his 90th birthday. He told us he had just learned that he was chosen to go on an Honor Flight to Washington, DC on October 6.
This is a wonderful honor for Marion native and veteran Ken “Fuzz” Richardson. He is a long time member and past Commander of VFW Post 6015. He was also a moving force in establishing Marion’s Veteran’s Memorial on Main Street and gave a lot of years to the annual VFW chicken dinner each Old Fashioned Days. Although he didn’t cook this year, he was in attendance, as always, near the grill.
I’m sure that we will continue to hear more about Ken’s upcoming adventure in the days ahead. If you see him out and about give him a holler. We know he will be happy to tell you more. Congratulations! from the Blevins Street Girls.
