SO THIS is the FOURTH, eh? ... a time of watermelons chilling in the tub, fish frying on an open fire, kids running amok, eager for darkness to come so they can catch fireflies and watch the fireworks.
Oh, no ... that’s the FOURTH OF JULY that I remember from my own childhood. I imagine fireworks were legal then, for everybody seemed to have some ... sparklers at the very least ... maybe some Roman candles ... and a couple of BIG BOOMERS.
But that has changed over the years.
Now, please understand ... all I know about fireworks is what I hear ... and what I hear is that if you want to buy fireworks in Ohio ... you CAN ... but you have to sign a paper which says you WON’T set them off in our neck of the woods.
In other words, it’s legal to buy ‘em here ... but not to use them here.
As I say, all I know about fireworks these days is what I hear ... and what I hear must be a new development in the traditional explosives for celebrating THE FOURTH ... a BOOM which carries all the way from that neighboring state ... where, I assume, it’s legal to set ‘em off ... and it sounds almost like it’s an explosion taking place just a few doors down the street ... and sometimes like it’s in the alley right behind our garage.
There goes one now ... and another ... and another ... and now a whole bunch like a giant pan of popcorn.
I can’t help wondering what distant state they’re being set off in ... and how they manage to sound like they’re so near.
-S&G-
-S&G-
MEANWHILE, if you’d like a bit of peace and quiet ... actually, a peaceful interlude with some music playing in the background ... while you enjoy a bit of well-structured, rhyming poetry, written by LOREE (Kansas) ... try this:
-S&G-
LOOKING BACK ... (this time all the way back to 2003) ... somebody wanted to know where in the world Brimm Manor is located.
Well, let’s see now ... Brimm Manor is located on the banks of Carlisle Avenue ... and that’s true (would I kid about something like that?). When the houses in this neighborhood were being built, I guess it was the fashion to situate the house, then a small front yard (consisting of dirt dug out to make the basement), then an embankment, then the sidewalk, and then the street, this last part fairly narrow, and built out of bricks, of course.
So that’s it. We are located on the banks of Carlisle Avenue ... oh, okay, in Dayton, Ohio.
Way back in ‘03, I acknowledged that "Brimm Manor" likely conjures images of a large estate with gardens, hedges, acres of flowers and a long, curving, tree-lined driveway leading up to an imposing structure.
Actually, I admitted, our abode is a rather old, unimposing structure, on a small city lot. It does have a hedge, but little or none of that other stuff. But it’s home, and we like it here.
-S&G-
THIS WEEK ... the magical, mystical, mythical TROPHY FOR PERSISTENCE ... undoubtedly must be awarded to LOREE (Kansas) ... for it was on an evening that promised to be a fairly quiet one ... but which broke that promise with thunderstorms just a couple of miles to the south:
"As a result, I had just started downloading your current installment ... BINGO! Off went the electric!
"Fortunately, it came back on almost immediately, but that effectively kills a phone dial-up connection. Back to Square One, and the whole process of re-establishing the connection.
"Would you believe that happened a total of four times before I managed to get your site completely downloaded?
"Finally got in ... and it has stayed on long enough for me to read the poem. Your grandmother was one smart lady, making a game of the hot weather walking trips, wasn’t she?"
Oh, Loree ... with that statement about my grandmother, you’ve definitely qualified for the trophy!
-S&G-
TODAY’S POEM ... As many of you know, I try not to repeat myself ... but sometimes I repeat myself ... even though I try not to repeat myself ... and now Professor Squigglee is giving me that LOOK, so I’m trying not to repeat myself ....
But you may have heard this poem before. It always comes to mind about this time of year ... when I’m dozing off ... or struggling to find my way out of the fog of an afternoon nap.
So here it is again (originally published in Capper’s):
CEILING MONSTER
Five blades embrace
heavy summer air
while four globes stare
at a pair of strings,
slender, descending
like spiders seeking
new worlds to claim,
and my eyelids flutter,
fighting against sleep,
for I have sat down
intending only to read
a few paragraphs,
but find I'm slipping
now, glasses off, my book
slowly rising, falling
as it rests on my chest,
both of us helpless
against that monster
whirring, soothing,
cooling, hypnotizing
us in the afternoon.
heavy summer air
while four globes stare
at a pair of strings,
slender, descending
like spiders seeking
new worlds to claim,
and my eyelids flutter,
fighting against sleep,
for I have sat down
intending only to read
a few paragraphs,
but find I'm slipping
now, glasses off, my book
slowly rising, falling
as it rests on my chest,
both of us helpless
against that monster
whirring, soothing,
cooling, hypnotizing
us in the afternoon.
-S&G-
COMMENT? Feel free ... below, if you like.
Or if you prefer e-mail, that's fine, too ... especially for more detailed observations, to rbrimm@peoplepc.com...
and it helps if you put "Squiggles" or "S&G" ... something like that ... in the subject line (just remember, no religion or politics ... please!)
-S&G-
UNTIL NEXT TIME ... take care ... see ya!
-S&G-
© 2009
© 2009
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