This time of year the newspaper business is pretty hectic.
Even though I do all of my work out of this “home office” now, some weeks it seems like I am just about glued to this computer chair.
I find I have to get up and move around every hour or so, or I stiffen right up. Ah, old age…
The past couple of weeks have been no exception. Summer time is always a busy time around Clare County. Summerfest wrapped up last Sunday, but delayed a bit due to the stormy weather. Next week is the annual festivities for the Fourth of July with Saturday night races in Farwell complete with Figure 8, Bump n’ Run, and Gut n’ Go with the Demo Derby at the fairgrounds…and excitement all over Harrison July 6th with a parade, events around town and at the fairgrounds and winding up with a fabulous fireworks of course.
Guess there’s no excuse not to have some summer fun. Coming up and later on it will be the Clare County Fair and Farwell’s log cutting and log rolling fun at the annual Lumberjack Festival on July 19th and 20th. Of course, the Review will be covering it all!
Working at home is pretty nice most times and especially in the summer. Sometimes later in the day, I I can hear the birds calling their ‘good nights’ to each other and pretty soon I will be able to see the fireflies flickering around the front yard. I will have to take a break to watch them when they come out.
I miss the river and the wildlife but the summer sunrises and sunsets are pretty spectacular here at our new place too.
It always seems more like summer when the fireflies are around. I will be out there sitting on the steps when I see their flickering lights, usually bringing the first signs of mid-summer.
I love that time of day.
When the sun finally goes down and sky is still a bit light in the west everything seems to be ‘right’ again. Lately, we have been watching the storm clouds gather in the west and south and we have had some pretty spectacular fireworks (lightning) in the sky in the middle of the night!
Last night was a great example and Jack said he was up watching the lightning dancing in the sky early this morning (Tuesday) and listening to the nearly constant rumble of thunder out there.
This morning, after the rain finally stopped falling, he told me that we got a little over an inch. (I think the grass probably grew at least that much too, but it’s too wet out there to mow).
No more rain is predicted today, or for the next four days he said…with the next rainfall predicted on Saturday.
Sitting out front under the porch when it’s raining a little is always pretty neat. The air smells so fresh and clean and it is so quiet.
When our kids were home, sitting together down by the river was a great time together whether you talked, or just listened. Time goes by so fast. They are all grown up now, middle aged in fact.
Now even all our grandchildren are grown and have youngsters of their own, except for Lisa’s two girls. They are working on their careers and they don’t have much time to sit by the river anymore even if we still could. Even when no one was around, sitting and watching the Tobacco flow by still qualified as a good time.
No matter where you are, It’s not just the way things look or even the sounds. Every season has a different scent. Fall has the faint tang of burning leaves. Winter is cold and sharp and clean. Spring is lilacs blooming and the scent of new things growing.
Summer is lush and green, the scent of wildflowers growing along the road when you are on a walk and the sweet smell of fresh cut grass.
There’s something special about every season, but summer evenings are hard to beat.
