Countdown to summers end

Johnny’s Issues

At the start of summer each June, I get to thinking about that song from the musical Grease. “Summer lovin,’ had me a blast....” Here we are two months later and the start of the new school year is staring us in the face. “Summer Lovin’” is drawing to a close for most of us. When I look at my summer activities scorecard, at all the things I did this summer, it doesn’t look so good. Mr. John Travolta would agree this summer was less than a “blast,” to wit:

• Number of trips to the beach: zero.

• Number of family vacations: zero.

• Number of Astros games attended: zero.

• Hikes in the woods, fishing, tennis games, all nada.

Just like that, the summer is gone. But this summer wasn’t a total bomb either. There were those two terrific hours I spent at a hotel pool one afternoon. And as for the “boys of summer,” I took in a Brazos Valley Bombers game and also got to attend an El Paso Chihuahuas Triple-A game. Both the home teams lost by the way, but the hamburgers and nachos were great!

And then there were some local events that were a real hoot. The “Sounds of Summer” music concerts in downtown Navasota were great summer fun and even got the approval of Phoebe The Wonderdog. I never knew she liked Tejano music so much. The Grimes County Courthouse birthday celebration brought out visitors from across the county which was very special. Plus, the Independence Day parade was definitely a highlight. Even the summer chore of cutting the grass took a new and positive turn thanks to a newly-purchased Super-Duper riding sauna. They call it a riding mower. It’s so fast, I can drive it like AJ Foyt and lose two pounds for the effort! Not only that, it makes lawn work enjoyable in a “whitewash the fence” sort of way.

According to my calendar, there is technically still another month of summer remaining. So, all hope is not lost yet, but now is the time to pull out your Summertime Bucket List. Catch some rays, take a dip, and get some sand between your toes. But if you don’t, take heart that there isn’t too much temperature distinction around here between our summer and autumn months. Rather than thinking of the coming season as autumn, think of it more like “Summer Lovin’ – Part 2.” “Well-a Well-a Well-a, huh!”

Johnny McNally is Grimes County’s Best Dressed Businessman advocating for Grimes County.