Birthday Wish for Our Country

Why is it always so HOT on the 4th of July? I know, it's summer, and of course it's hot in the summer. But here in DC we always have a heat wave on the 4th. I can tell you of 4ths that I spent in shopping malls to avoid the heat (once it was Pentagon City, so I guess that counts at least as patriotic). I've also spent the entire 4th at home, having declined invitations to BBQs, pool parties and fireworks on the Mall.

But this year I want to brave the crowds, search endlessly for a parking space, and endure the evening heat -- all to be with a local like-minded community as it celebrates the birth of our country with music and a display of fireworks. In the past, I've watched the fireworks from the Mall on TV. (Kathleen even hates that. She says that they roll the credits before the finale is over---whatever!)

But I'm feeling a little patriotic this year. And I'm feeling a little hopful too! Maybe we can get Barack re-elected, and the world can continue to follow a saner path. That's my birthday wish for our country...and the world!

The Confinement

We had a hot one today. I bet with the heat index we were in the triple digits (100+ degrees). We stayed inside. Kathleen can work at home and well, I write at home. So there we are, home in the comfortable air-conditioning and having our groceries delivered and our house cleaned by a service. And guess what...? We are cranky and irritable. We have no excuse except the CONFINEMENT. 
 
In the olden days people went out to the movies for the air-conditioning and the entertainment. Nowadays everything has come to our homes: videos, cds, video games, TV, radio and personal computers. You see, you can be throughly entertained and never leave your home except for the confinement issue.
 
Being home is great especially when the weather is awful. But when it's beautiful out, who wants to be confined? Not me and I bet not you. So as soon as the heat wave breaks, I'm eating outside at a lovely patio restaurant. Sound good? Its what's keeping me from biting off my beloved's head during this confinement. (Don't mistake me, I really do love her a lot.)

It's Almost Midnight on Mid-Summer's Night

It's been a long hot June day. Appointments made and cancelled. Deliveries postponed. All because of hot temperatures. It's the first day of summer. Oh my, what does this forbode? I've predicted a hotter-than-usual summer since we had a warmer-than-usual winter. I didn't consult the faithful Farmer's Almanac, but I'd bet we're in agreement.

And now it's nightime and Mid-Summer's Night. I don't have anything planned. Just the usual stuff. But the music that's being played is a little bit softer tonight. And I hear the drum beat a little clearer too. Oh yeah, I'm listening to the latest Buddha Bar cds. It's primal, like this night was for millennia. Now I live in a modern age with personal computers and air conditioning, but it's still a sultry night of sorts.

I don't even remember Shakespeare's Mid-Summer's Night's Dream. I remember loving it though. Must put it on my reading list. Just so I can remember it. It's almost midnight, and I wish I was younger and frolicing in the woods after nubile maidens. For my dreams and yours...