Townhall.com, Where Your Opinion Counts
Talk Radio:   Bill Bennett   Mike Gallagher   Dennis Prager   Michael Medved   Hugh Hewitt   
BREAKING NEWS  LeftArrow - Townhall.com : Conservative, Political, Republican   RightArrow - Townhall.com : Conservative, Political, Republican  
Columns, funnies & more in your inbox!
Login | What's Hot
  • Check the boxes and send us your email address to receveive your free newsletter
  • Your daily must-read of conservative columns, cartoons and news. Coulter, Sowell, Krauthammer and more.
  • Townhall.com’s weekly inside scoop on what’s happening behind the scenes in the world of politics. When news breaks, we report.
  • Signup to receive the latest daily Townhall cartoons
Thursday, August 16, 2001
Ross Mackenzie :: Townhall.com Columnist
The summer of our lives
by Ross Mackenzie
Forward Print Share Single Page
Vote on It:
Average Vote:
[+] Text [-]
 
 
Poll
Will the Dems' health care Christmas Present to America be an improvement or detriment to our health care system?


For everything there is a season. Around our shop, it is the season for repairing all the stuff that seems to bust all at once. But summer also is the season we notice the world around us, the season of slowing down and taking stock. In thinking about it - in recalling memories of the summer of our lives - images flood the mind. Summer is... Creeping mists. Thunderheads, and the southwest wind making rain. Shimmery mirages of incandescent heat. Just-cut grass. Exploring the starry immensity on a night-blanketed field. The primeval smell of fecund earth. Lobster and crabs. Lush tomatoes and BLTs. Ice cream. Watermelon and corn on the cob. Burgers on the grill. Sno-cones and popsicles in sticky fingers. Limes and lemonade; iced tea with a sprig of mint. Frosted brew. Spritzers, tonics and fizzes. Grease-soaked pronto pups. Gooey marshmallows. Fish in the shallows. Insect hordes. The drone of cicadas, the buzzing of bees. A rush of wings. The screech of a gull; the cackle of a loon on a northern lake. Arachnid artisans spinning webs. Butterflies. Fireflies in jars. Giant frogs croaking, "Knee deep" in the mud. A startled deer bounding, tail up, into the camouflage safety of the woods. A dog dead-asleep in the shade. Spinnakers billowing before the wind. Splices and slices. The swish of a fairway wood. Backstroke. Backhand. The crack of the bat at the ballpark. Daisy fields. Filigreed globes of Queen Anne's lace. Asters. Black-eye susans. Honeysuckle and morning glories. Vast fields of wheat, and green oats growing. Trees chatting via the flinty clatter of their leaves. Waves rushing toward the shore. Beach bonfires. Elaborate castles. Salt sprays and languid days. Sunburn and sun-blisters. Freckles and tans. Sand in your toes. No clothes. A setting sun dripping red-gold into the sea. The pool, keeping cool, no school. Kids at camp. Tents. Canoeing and tubing. Sandals. The mountains and the river. Creaking wicker. Picnics. Ferris wheel lights. Going barefoot. Muggy air and clammy sheets. Being rescued by a breeze from sweltering heat so hot not even the birds have energy to sing. Brassy bands. The snap of The Flag on The Fourth. Goofy hats and tenement Ts. Syrupy weekday traffic and deserted weekend streets. Good books and come-hither looks. Skinny-dipping and daiquiri-nipping. A hammock for two. Moons - and swoons. Girls after males - and sales! Brides. Friends, and making amends. Vacations, of course. Roaming the forest solitudes like Crusoe before he saw the footprint. Doing what you want to when you want to, or doing nothing at all. Caring about the little things. Feeling blissfully irresponsible accomplishing precisely zero. Snoring - feet up - before the TV. The mind decelerated from overdrive to idle. Summer is the season that makes the rest of the year worthwhile. It is peace. Freedom. Joy. An optimism retained in spite of life.
Share:
Forward Print Single Page
Vote on It:
Average Vote:
 
About The Author

Ross Mackenzie lives with his wife and Labrador retriever in the woods west of Richmond, Virginia. They have two grown sons, both Naval officers.

Be the first to read Ross Mackenzie's column. Sign up today and receive Townhall.com delivered each morning to your inbox.

Join The Debate!

Post Your Comment
(0 comments so Far)
View in ascending order     View in descending order
Sign Up to Post Your CommentsSign Up to Post Your Comments
If you are already registered, click here to login. Otherwise, please take a few seconds to register with Townhall.com. Once you sign up, you’ll be able to post your comments immediately, use the action center, get podcasts, and more!
Note: Fields marked with a red asterisk (*) are required.
Salutation:
First Name:
*
Last Name:
*
Email:
*
Nickname:
*
Note: Nick name will be shown when you post comments.
Address 1:
*
Address 2:
City:
 *
State:
 *
Zip:
 *
Phone:
       
Your daily must-read of conservative columns, cartoons and news. Coulter, Sowell, Krauthammer and more.
(Bi-Weekly) We highlight the best opportunities from our partners for surveys, action items and more.