Today is the first day of summer. It will last ninety three days until we reach the autumn equinox. I read somewhere that the celebration at Stonehenge is to be televised for the first time. It almost escaped me as I was expecting summer to arrive on the 21st. I know the actual equinox varies from year to year. Astronomy isn't a strong point for me and I have difficulty identifying stars and such. I guess I was just never fascinated by any of that having decided there isn't anything I can do about it. It is what it is. If I were lost, at night, under a starry sky, I'd still be lost. Well I never was a boy scout. Yes I was in the Navy but I was in the engine room, no stars down there. I went to a lot of foreign places but never saw how I got there. Well the fact is, all oceans look the same.
Something tells me this is going to be a long hot summer. I'm thinking this is going to be especially true in the cities this year. Under otherwise normal conditions crime and violence in the city increases with the temperature. This year there are so many other factors it gives me pause to think. Not that I go into the city, any city, very often but I'm afraid this summer will be memorable for all the wrong reasons. I do hold out some hope for change. There is a movement afoot, let's all hope more people get on board with that. Peaceful protest is a good thing, needless to say, rioting and looting are not! We all have to wait and see which way the mob goes. What becomes the popular movement? It really does boil down to the same old struggle, good vs evil. It's an unfortunate reality that good is usually only adopted when it comes with some tangible benefit.
I don't have any school age children and the grandkids are in there late teens but I'm thinking this has to feel like a different summer to those that do. There were no graduation ceremonies in the traditional sense to mark the end of the school year. The younger children have felt like they were on vacation for a while now. There wasn't the routine of getting up, having breakfast and catching the school bus. In Maryland that began in March. You could say summer vacation began then, although distance learning continued. I'm certain obtaining a passing grade was made easier by all of that. There are some educators that are saying it will take a year or more for the children to catch up. If school reconvenes in the fall it will certainly be different. Masks and social distancing, staggered days in actual attendance in the classroom, and what of the extracurricular activates? Can you have a band with the musicians sitting six foot apart? What about plays and clubs? Two assemblies for the same topic? Yes, it'll be different alright.
Well it's getting time for me to begin my summer. I'm planning on starting by hanging wallpaper for my granddaughter. She is redecorating her bedroom. I have to say wallpapering is a lot easier than painting. I have painted that room several times over the years. Well, that's what grandpa's are for. I get to spoil those kids and then complain about it when they aren't around. I don't have any big plans for this summer, truth is I haven't made plans for summer any year that I recall. I just go with the flow. Never have been much on planning vacations and such. I do hope to go clamming at some point. I did manage to go once last year. It's a bit of a drive from my house to get somewhere to do that. Last year I did scratch up one clam. Yes, just one, but it was a chowder and delicious. I cut it into pieces and made believe it was three clams.
Whatever your plans are enjoy your summer. It started early this year. A lot of things have started early this year. I won't go into any of that though. To be honest I'll be happy when it's over. This whole year as a matter of fact. So far 2020 has been a mess.
Something tells me this is going to be a long hot summer. I'm thinking this is going to be especially true in the cities this year. Under otherwise normal conditions crime and violence in the city increases with the temperature. This year there are so many other factors it gives me pause to think. Not that I go into the city, any city, very often but I'm afraid this summer will be memorable for all the wrong reasons. I do hold out some hope for change. There is a movement afoot, let's all hope more people get on board with that. Peaceful protest is a good thing, needless to say, rioting and looting are not! We all have to wait and see which way the mob goes. What becomes the popular movement? It really does boil down to the same old struggle, good vs evil. It's an unfortunate reality that good is usually only adopted when it comes with some tangible benefit.
I don't have any school age children and the grandkids are in there late teens but I'm thinking this has to feel like a different summer to those that do. There were no graduation ceremonies in the traditional sense to mark the end of the school year. The younger children have felt like they were on vacation for a while now. There wasn't the routine of getting up, having breakfast and catching the school bus. In Maryland that began in March. You could say summer vacation began then, although distance learning continued. I'm certain obtaining a passing grade was made easier by all of that. There are some educators that are saying it will take a year or more for the children to catch up. If school reconvenes in the fall it will certainly be different. Masks and social distancing, staggered days in actual attendance in the classroom, and what of the extracurricular activates? Can you have a band with the musicians sitting six foot apart? What about plays and clubs? Two assemblies for the same topic? Yes, it'll be different alright.
Well it's getting time for me to begin my summer. I'm planning on starting by hanging wallpaper for my granddaughter. She is redecorating her bedroom. I have to say wallpapering is a lot easier than painting. I have painted that room several times over the years. Well, that's what grandpa's are for. I get to spoil those kids and then complain about it when they aren't around. I don't have any big plans for this summer, truth is I haven't made plans for summer any year that I recall. I just go with the flow. Never have been much on planning vacations and such. I do hope to go clamming at some point. I did manage to go once last year. It's a bit of a drive from my house to get somewhere to do that. Last year I did scratch up one clam. Yes, just one, but it was a chowder and delicious. I cut it into pieces and made believe it was three clams.
Whatever your plans are enjoy your summer. It started early this year. A lot of things have started early this year. I won't go into any of that though. To be honest I'll be happy when it's over. This whole year as a matter of fact. So far 2020 has been a mess.
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