With the weatherman telling me the temperature will reach a high of 45 degrees this beautiful Wednesday, I decided to put away the shovels and the snowblower, get out my golf clubs, and prepare for what is certain to be an early summer season.
There is only a residual 7 inches of snow blanketing my front yard, and all the other signs of summer are already here.
In the local CVS, the bearded man in front of me at the check-out counter was sporting a pair of spiffy cargo shorts above his galoshes. I asked him if he broke out the shorts in honor of summer arriving. “Absolutely!” was his reply. “Where I come from, this is considered a heat wave.” He then waved good-bye with a “Ho-ho-ho” as he headed out to his sleigh.
Seeking more confirmation, I searched all over the area for a local DOLLAR GENERAL store. They are certainly hard to find. My wife has been telling me what great bargains they have, and that they are a step ahead of Bristol’s twenty three other “Dollar” species. Sure enough, a walk to the back of the store brought me to the inflatable pool display. You can get a 4 foot diameter pool for only $19.95, as seen on TV. What more proof of summer could I desire?
I proceeded then to my favorite hardware store, City True Value on Farmington Avenue. Sure enough, the staff were getting ready to put away the snow blowers and start displaying the lawn tractors. There you have it. Summer is here!
Finally, I drove to Plainville to find the most convincing and satisfying sign that summer had arrived. When I got to the Dairy Queen, my mind was awash with visions of a Mint-Oreo Blizzard, maybe three. Like so many of you, my doctor has been nagging me to put on some weight, because I have lost so much and look so emaciated during this Covid shutdown.
I exited my car in the back of the parking lot, and came upon a sight that crushed my summer spirit. There was a sign in the front window declaring, “Closed for the winter. We’ll be back in mid March.”
I headed back to my car with a shuffle of despair. Summer really is not here yet. But as I headed back home, my hopes were restored by the sight of some Halloween decorations on display in some of the stores on Route 6. If Halloween decorations are up again, summer can’t be that far away.
Next, I’m going out to the garage to inflate that pool, as soon as I finish talking to the person on the phone who has informed me that this is my last chance to extend the warranty on our car.