Dirty Pool

Hello World,       And so here we find ourselves, already after labor Day, and halfway through September besides, with only another 100 days or so standing between us and the end of the year, believe that or don't. (YIPES!!!) Of course, just because school is back in session, doesn't mean that the fun-in-the-summer-time is completely over, as they were quick to point out in our local newspaper recently. There's still plenty of interesting places to go and fun stuff to do, plus (Hurricane Florence notwithstanding) good weather to enjoy it all with, and they don't want us to give way to despair, and miss out on it all. For instance, they suggest Slide The City in Pearl River on 9/15, and which includes live music, food, and drinks besides beating the heat with splashing and water fun. At Playland Park in Rye, the pool and beach are closed in September, but the rides and arcade games are still open, plus all of that great fair food. If you still need a pool fix, you are invited to bring Fido to Spook Rock Pool in Suffern for Paws In The Pool, where you can watch your pooch jump, swim, or dog paddle in the pool from Noon to 3:00 PM. Take them home wet and tired, but happy. Then there's the Yonkers Riverfest also on 9/15, with live music, kids activities, hundreds of vendors, plus majestic views of the Hudson River to boot. The Blauvelt Sons of Italy Feast and Carnival Festival brings us four days of Italian food, music, rides, vendors and more, including casino games and raffles. There are two different 5-day events, including the Yorktown Feast of San Gennaro, featuring authentic Italian flavors, live entertainment, rides, games, and childrens activities; plus ArtsWestchester in White Plains invites us to their free Jazz and Food Festival, where you can enjoy great sounds, and grab a bite to eat in the fine city all week. Perhaps saving the best for last, Crafts at Lyndhurst is a 3-day craft fair featuring hundreds of artists converging on the historic estate in Tarrytown with a range of unique and hand-crafted goods, like jewelry, clothing, paintings, gourmet foods and much more. Bring the whole family to shop, enjoy live entertainment, childrens activities, and fair food, rain or shine. Whew! I don't know about everybody else, for as for myself, I would say that despair doesn't stand a chance.     It was nice to have a day off at Labor Day, although I (sheepishly) admit that The Flag Brigade forgot to put out the flags, as they normally would do. The weather was fine, although very hot, so there was no reason to worry about pulling the flags back inside just ahead of pouring rain, or worse - and The Flag Brigade has long since learned not to rule out Biblical plagues and other disasters, I can tell you that. On the other hand, Labor Day weekend is when we usually pack ourselves up and visit our friends upstate around Albany, not only to enjoy their company and pour money into the local economy with their widespread shopping opportunities, but also to revel in their lovely backyard pool, which is a special treat that never grows old, believe me. Unfortunately for us, one of these friends opted instead for a surgical procedure, thanks not, so we had to take a rain check on the pool weekend, and I don't mind saying, it really punched a hole in our regular end-of-summer plans. In fairness, I should point out that our friend is doing well after the procedure, and we will make other arrangements to go see them, but I would also be less than candid if I didn't regret the pool as being one of the unintended victims in this whole scenario.     Of course, this year is one of those times in our lives that the whole week after Labor day is turning into quite the busy and eventful time-frame, no matter how you look at it. The first Sunday on the 9th is not only Grandparents Day (God bless them!) but also the beginning of Rosh Hashanah at sundown. Then Monday the 10th is the First of Muharram, also at sundown, and naturally, 9/11 is now widely recognized as Patriot Day, so you can be sure there were plenty of events to mark the occasion, including parades, community activities, school projects, and whatever else. Besides all that, Sunday the 16th is Mexican Independence Day, and then suddenly it's Yom Kippur, of all things, on the 18th, beginning at sundown, so for all of those Mexican Jews out there, it's really a busy time, I'm sure. Also beginning at sundown is Ashura on Thursday the 20th, followed by (and here, I can only assume this is ironically named) Peace Day on Friday the 21st - and which I will say, would not only come as a huge surprise to millions of people all over the world, but to be honest, also a huge relief, and one I would certainly give my whole-hearted endorsement, that's for sure. In any event, it all wraps up on Saturday the 22nd with the first day of Autumn, believe it or not, and it's all downhill from there.     But at least in weather news, just in time, the outdoor conditions certainly turned cold in a hurry, and right about now, that would have to be considered a good thing. Normally, and especially in September, I would never consider it appropriate to describe temperatures in the high 60s or low 70s as "cold," but after way too many days and nights, one after another, and on and on and on, with wilting temperatures between 90-100 degrees, getting a break of 30 degrees cooler, definitely rates as cold, and I don't mind saying, I am unanimous in that. On the other hand, I can say that the resident birds, insects, wildlife, and house cats would not agree, and also were not a bit shy in pointing out their feelings on the matter. Our birds and squirrels broke out their ear muffs and scarves in force, while our hive of bees, usually perfectly happy outside, were busy looking for any possible entryways into the house, and more than a few succeeded, thanks not. Our (very sissy) cats were glad to be reminded that our new furnace has a handy feature that it comes on by itself when the living room thermostat reaches a certain low point, and it didn't take long before you couldn't find a single radiator upstairs or downstairs that wasn't already wearing its own cat adornment, as it were. Meanwhile, out in the yard, the alarming summer over-growth was basically cut down overnight, so that it actually looked like people lived here, once again. But let's face it, in a perfect world, we'd have a pool - and of course, the pool boy, it goes without saying. Elle