Country view: Summer fun

Life in the fast lane

Morning peeps through the mini-blinds over the bed, reminding the sleeper that another frenetic July day has arrived in Sandy Pond. You climb out of bed, don your robe and flip-flops, fix a cup of coffee and half bagel and resume a similar horizontal task on the hammock outside. It's suspended between two ancient hemlocks. When you look overhead to their woodsy canopy, you also hear the sounds of birds in the nearby marsh that had come to life hours before.

An industrious plan for later in the morning might consist of a trip into town, perhaps to purchase a piece of lumber, fill up the water containers at the town pump, or to buy a couple of bags of ice for a later- in- the- day event. You might, if so inspired, purchase a local newspaper to get a cursory appraisal of local current events. One really doesn't have the concentration to read the news in depth or actually remember anything (except perhaps the daily weather forecast), but the gesture is well intended.

Lunch inevitably rolls in and is quickly dispensed with so the clan can get aboard the boat for an afternoon of sunning and swimming. We pack up: beer, water, ice, towels and sunblock. Our oldest son begins barking out commands: A craft can only have one captain, the rest of us are mates: Untying the ropes, counting life vests, pushing the boat from the dock. The dogs watch as we depart, too fearful to join us and eventually return to their spots under the hemlocks, dreaming of the rabbits that'll surface there at dusk.

"Captain" navigates the craft carefully through the various depths in the channel. He's a master of this watery terrain and knows it like the back of his hand. We're observed by a single blue heroin (almost undistinguishable in the reeds), by turtles basking on a rock, or mallard ducks swimming in formation with their new families. Then we reach the mouth of the pond, open the throttle and glide across the sapphire liquid of mile-wide water. We take a couple of spins around, carefully avoiding other boats, water skiers and waves made by other boaters, and then drop anchor in the middle away from the rest of the traffic. We crank up the radio, pop open a can, dive off the bow or just bask until our skin is a rosy red...we'll pay for that later in the day. But for now it feels good.

The hours fly by, and although we try to delay it, we eventually force ourselves to pull up anchor and head back to camp. We find the dogs haven't moved since we left them, but they get up to greet us, expecting that its dinner time. Once the boat gets secured the women head quickly toward the house to ready supper or grab the tiny shower stall before everyone else gets there. The male executives remain down at the dock, bickering over how to tie nautical knots or which way to fasten the boat tarp, clockwise or counter.

The sun starts setting over Lake Ontario around 7:30, and when it does, it casts a glorious reddish haze that is legendary. A bon fire might be started, radio's cranked again. Some (avoiding mosquitoes) stay with the camp and watch the local news or just talk.

When the red-eyed sun finally retires from view it's a sign for all human form to consider doing the same, resting up for another tension-fraught, worked compulsed summertime day on Sandy Pond.

Linda Malmendier

Go outside!

This is it, the height of the season summer with a capital "S". And hopefully like my family, you're right there in the middle of it with your shoes off and your feet up and looking two shades darker than last week.

The Old Farmer's Almanac says summer starts on June 21, but somehow for me, summer never truly arrives until the Fourth of July. That's when I start to move a little more slowly, I ride my bike, try to catch up on some of my reading and begin to spend more time outdoors with my family, feeling free to kick back a little and have some fun.

But if, for some workaholic reason, you have not yet released your feet from those heals and had a taste of a burger grilled outdoors, please do so. There's nothing like a juicy burger, a cold lemonade and ignored messages to restore your sanity. But hurry before all the shady spots on the lawn are taken. Now, run through the sprinkler, you can always make it look like an accident. Blow on the dandelions and make them feel needed. Plant zinnias, you don't need to have a reason. Sleep outside at least one night. Choose a chaise lounge or hammock, or sleep in a tent.

On July fourth we, like so many of our neighbors around the country, celebrate America's birthday by watching the local parade, eating big sun-warm juicy slices of our own tomato on a lettuce and bacon sandwich with extra napkins, chocolate cake. Later on top of a grassy mound waiting for the fireworks, we eat lots of ice cream while wearing our baseball caps.

In the essence of summer living we check out local vacation spots at the beach and rent a small cottage. The summer fun continues when we make a fire on the beach and roast hot dogs and marshmallows on a stick.

Our summer fun is always the visit to the local roadside stands and farmers' market, local flea market and antique and thrift shops to see how our family can find treasures to decorate our summer porch. We then come back home and cool off on the porch sipping homemade lemonade and eating sugar cookies from the farmers' market.

Summer wouldn't be summer without the traditional visit to our local county fair to eat fresh homemade pie, family reunions, and casual get-togethers with family and friends. The longer days allow us to enjoy the garden and the opportunities to simply relax and enjoy the summer.

These are simple pleasures and I always looked forward to enjoying with my parents and family in the years I was growing up, and now I carry them forward in my own family. Have fun this summer. Remember, fall comes way too soon, so with your big purple and green bird kite going higher and higher, running up and down the slope to help gain altitude, you let go of the kite, then sit back with your bare feet, packed summer lunch and watch your kite as it becomes a tiny speck in the pale-blue sky. Happy Summer Fun!

Sandy Erdman, Winona, MN