Finneran: August’s Soft Summer Nights

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Friday, August 07, 2015

Tom Finneran, GoLocalWorcester MINDSETTER™

Has anyone else noticed the shortening days of summer? Later sunrises and earlier sunsets have put me on notice once again—God and the universe have their own calendars. And while it’s been hot and humid of late, I’m taking bets that before August passes into the rearview mirror you’ll be shutting down the AC and reaching for a blanket.

Other indicators of the passing season? How about those warm waters? June and July do the hard work for those August swimmers who love their water as warm as a bath. Those J and J vacation months amp up the water temps for pools, ponds, and lakes. Even the ocean takes notice, making Outer Cape beaches beautifully swimmable for hours at a time. As the wise woman says—“this too shall pass”. Enjoy it while you can.

Farm stand bounty beckons us to drive straight past the supermarket and to pull over to the side of the road at those little huts which look so utterly forlorn and abandoned in the snows of winter. Lunches of tomato sandwiches and dinners of corn on the cob are the stuff of heaven and those little huts are doing quite a business moving such sweet stuff from local fields to family tables. Corn and tomatoes, tomatoes and corn---these must be mainstays on Heaven’s menu.

August cannot pass without a trip to the ice cream stand. Actually, many trips to the ice cream stand! And August has no monopoly on those trips. My wife and I have made more than a dozen practice runs during June and July! Chocolate chip and maple walnut are our standard choices but we can be persuaded to consider peach, coffee, and almost anything with caramel. Always get the extra-large double or triple scoop---you can easily do a few extra sit-ups in the morning………

Next week—specifically the night of August 12th—get out the bug spray and pray for a cloudless sky at night. The Perseid meteor shower returns that night, rewarding sky-watchers with hundreds of fireballs and “shooting stars”, from about 10:00 PM until the wee hours of the morning. This year I’ll try it with the older grandkids although the odds are that they’ll all fall asleep on the beach, leaving Papa the joyful task of carrying them back to the car on his bad knees and strong shoulders.

August memories include concerts of course. Local bands on small town greens or big name bands at Fenway Park or Foxboro, the Pavilion or the DCU give plenty of choices. From rock to country, from gospel to show music, the range reflects America’s breadth. Savor it.

How about summer theater? There’s no shortage of choice here either. Serious drama abounds throughout the Northeast and the talent never fails to amaze me. At summer’s end I always kick myself that I didn’t get out to see more of these productions.

This August in particular will sidestep the usual summer slump and avoidance of politics. Next year’s Presidential election looms large and the press is enjoying the fact that the normal boring dog days of summer have been displaced by some spicy political theater. Hillary has some issues to handle and Bernie Sanders is drawing big crowds. Will Joe Biden enter the fray? Where’s Martin O’Malley now that Hillary is sliding? Will Jim Webb, a sensible experienced guy, spark an intramural war between the sensible center and the left wing now running the party?

And how about the growing crowd on the Republican side of the stage? I disagree with a lot of local opinion about that field—I think it’s a pretty talented group and anyone of several of them can emerge from the pack as a serious and capable foe to the Democratic nominee. Watch Walker, Rubio, Kasich, and Bush. Plus Cruz and Trump will certainly spice things up. Carson and Fiorina add lots of interest based on their non-political backgrounds and success. Rand Paul is a bit of a wildcard based upon the American people’s growing suspicion of a bullying national government run amok. He could catch fire as well. Back to Bush for a moment---his problem is twofold: the nation’s general resistance to “royal families” and the public’s assessment of his brother’s White House years. Can he (and Hillary) overcome the “yesterday” vibe of their campaigns? Stay tuned………..

All in all, August should be fun. Enjoy!

Tom Finneran is the former Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, served as the head the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, and was a longstanding radio voice in Boston radio.

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