The New York State Fair began this week, which means we are at the end of summer and the snow should be falling soon.
I thought that would get everyone enthused.
It put me in the mood to ruminate about some random end of summer thoughts.
Weather-wise it wasn’t much of a summer.
It seemed to rain every day although it was probably every other day.
Instead of playing golf, my weekends were spent cutting the lawn although I do have to confess that even if I’d played more golf, it wouldn’t have improved my game.
I still have the highest handicap at the Pompey Club.
If it was any higher, they would probably put a handicap sticker on the golf cart. I could probably blame my lack of improvement on working full time this summer but that would be “Fake News.”
We own nineteen acres, which we share with two mules, a horse, two dogs, two cats and five chickens.
After the pastures are subtracted, I mow about seven acres. The lower acreage, which surrounds a two acre pond was so wet that weeks went by before I could mow it.
It remained too soggy for us to even get any use out of the pond.
The summer seemed longer than usual.
That may have been due to the fact that I have 8:00 A.M. meetings twice per week.
There was a time when the only way I could have attended an 8:00 A.M. meeting was if I was coming home after a night out.
Those days, or should I say nights, are long gone as I celebrate my 68th year.
Now, when I get out of the meeting I walk a mile through downtown and repeat it again at noon as part of my ongoing campaign to stay above ground.
The State Fair is another changed experience.
Many years ago I’d go with a group, late in the day, catch a concert and stay until the fair closed.
Now, I go early on a weekday with my five-year-old granddaughter and stay until the mid-afternoon.
I do have the good sense to avoid opening day when Governor Cuomo comes and announces his latest round of harebrained ideas to be funded with our tax dollars.
It won’t be long before gondolas are crisscrossing the state.
This year, he didn’t disappoint.
He announced that a fifty million dollar expo center ”the largest north of New York City” would be built at the State Fair.
He promised that it would change the Fair from “a 13 day venue to year round economic engine.”
Earlier this year he proposed that a gondola at the fair which would travel over route 690 would be year round attraction.
He has apparently lost his faith in the tourist magnet of being able to view Weitzman’s Scrap Metal yard from the air.
At the end of September my 50hj high school reunion is scheduled.
I can’t help but go back forty years to my 10th reunion.
I was sitting in my office at Hiscock Legal Aid, when I received a telephone call from one of my classmates seeking some help.
“What are you up to these days?” I asked.
“I just stared a six month sentence at Jamesville,” (the local correctional facility), He replied.
“You moron,” I said,” Do you know what day it is?”
“No,” he answered.
“Our tenth reunion is tonight,” I told him.
“Can you get me out?” he asked plaintively.
“Of course not,” I answered.
“Then will you say Hi to everyone for me?” he asked.
“Sure,” I told him.
That night I was asked to say a few words and told everyone, “I’m bringing greetings from some folks who couldn’t be here,” I said, “and some are a lot closer than you think.”
I’ll be curious to see if he can make it this year.