I give up! I am seriously thinking about waving the white flag of surrender. This past Wednesday’s temperatures were brutal and, with the forecast of temps in the mid-to-high 80’s for the next week, it doesn’t look all that promising. With that being said, I may have to head north to the cabin and a little bit cooler weather one of these days.
While I am contemplating that move I still have time to do a little daydreaming about some past years of spending time outdoors. In looking back to my childhood, I have to wonder how we survived the heat of summer without air conditioning. We did have one small fan, which served as an air conditioner in our little house that was home for many of my years. My mother was a beautician and had a little shop in our house. During the day she had that old fan in her shop to keep her customers somewhat comfortable. Before that room was a beauty shop, it was my bedroom. Eventually my folks remodeled the upstairs, so that both my sister and I would each have a room of our own.
Those were the days that some now refer to as the golden age or “the good old days.” Maybe growing up in those times made me appreciate all of the conveniences that I have today. When the weather got hot back then, my mother would spread a sheet on the living room floor and let me sleep there. We would open all two of the living room windows and she would position the fan, so that it blew air into mom and dad’s bedroom and also sent a little breeze my way.
I can’t remember ever having as many 80-degree days back then as we have had in the past few years. My guess is that the global warming thing wasn’t all that popular when I was a youth. Actually, in those days, we never knew there was such a thing as global warming. Sleeping on a hot summer night in those days involved searching for a cool spot and that kept a person awake for most of the night. It was like the slightest breeze would feel like a godsend. I believe that those days actually prepared me for the military and helped me tolerate most anything.
Getting back to the daydreaming thing, I have always been kind of a dreamer and I can put myself in a happy place whenever I think about sitting in a boat on a lake. When I think of the evening fog that comes as the warm water of the day meets the cool of the evening, there is a distinct smell that comes with the coolness of the evening that words can’t accurately describe.
Being on the lake in early morning gives me a feeling that is hard to describe. Morning means that I am starting a new day and looking forward to the adventures of the day ahead. As I sit in my boat with the morning fog lurking close by, I cast my lure and, although I can’t see it, I can hear the “plunk” as the lure hits the water. The morning mist does not allow me to see the jumping fish, but the noise and the rippling of the water confirms that it was there. I don’t believe that there is a more serene or peaceful feeling to me than that scenario.
If I do head north, I will try and take some time to visit one of my favorite lakes (Spider) and try to capture that picture firsthand. I have spent a lot of time over the years fishing that lake alone, but it is always better when fishing with a friend, son, or grandson.
Last Saturday, the 4th of July, there were a host of boats on Fountain Lake, swimming and enjoying the water and the outdoors. I do not think that I have ever seen that many boats on the lake at one time. The exception would be on the nights of the fireworks. There have been a lot of folks fishing the lake this year and they are not only fishing from boats, but from shore and it is good to see so many folks enjoying our area’s resources.
Until next time: I hope that you are able to get outdoors, visit a park or wet a line at a nearby lake, but mostly, just get out and enjoy our great Minnesota outdoors.
Please take a few moments also to honor those who have sacrificed so much for the freedoms that we enjoy today. Also, take a little extra time to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice, those who have served and those troops that are serving today.