Those Lazy, Hazy…

We’ve just reached, unfortunately, two mid-way points during our summer-long sojourn here in the great heart of the American heartland, Ames, Iowa. This past Wednesday marked the exact half-way point of our stay — and this weekend marks the half-way point of that lovely season of summer. Neither marker is causing us to celebrate, but they both serve as reminders — as if we needed any — that nothing lasts forever.

We can see another reminder of that every night now. All those fireflies that delightfully lit up our evenings in June and early July are gone. That’s nature’s way, of course, but anyone who has spent  time around these parts of the Midwest know that when fireflies are gone, summer is speeding away, as well.

Our weather in Ames has settled into the gorgeous monotony of clear, warm days and cool nights. Of course, we’ve kept track of the horrible Summer of Sizzle and Flames that has made life miserable in California. Even our little Central Coast town in the Golden State has had its share of oppressive heat.

We’ve had none of that here, but elsewhere in Central Iowa, tornadoes caused big-time damage and some injuries in several towns a few weeks ago. While it was only partly cloudy that day here in Ames, tornadoes ripped through parts of Bondurant, Pella and Marshalltown. Miraculously, no one was killed, but the damage was severe. In Pella, the city’s biggest employer –the Vermeer Corporation — took a direct hit. In Marshalltown, part of downtown was damaged, including the iconic Marshall County Courthouse, which had the top of its clock-tower ripped off. That same tornado also made a direct hit on the Lennox plant, and destroyed or damaged hundreds of homes.

We drove out to Marshalltown with friends Steve and Beth last Saturday to see the damage first-hand. It was greater than we had thought it would be. But there, as well as in Pella and Bondurant, people have come together — companies have donated big money,  volunteers have given much time and effort,  and residents are cleaning up their properties — and these communities will get back on track.

Here in Ames, our daily lives have been busy, indeed. Sharon volunteers, and vigorously, at Reiman Gardens at Iowa State University, and she’s taken wonderful photos there and elsewhere as she pursues new post-retirement hobbies. I’m volunteering on radio at our community station three mornings a week, delivering news updates. Reading and writing news are among the only skills I ever developed — and, yes, some would question the “skills” and “developed” parts — but it’s my small way of helping.

Our Thursday evenings have been spent at Bandshell Park, just down the street from our place. We’ve seen almost all of this year’s performances of the Ames Municipal Band there. But, alas, the band’s season has now ended — another one of those little reminders that time is not standing still here, though we wish it were.

Our Sundays have generally been filled with the sound of music.  Most Sunday afternoons,  we attend afternoon band shows at the Prairie Moon Winery north of town and evening band performances at Roosevelt Park here in Ames.   Sharon bought a bicycle from an Iowa State student who had just graduated, and she now often pedals her way through Old Town. I’m a walker and a talker, and as I make my daily Old Town excursions, I frequently try to converse with the many squirrels and rabbits and chipmunks I encounter. Sharon says it’s a good thing, indeed, that I have not detected them talking back, and I can see her point.

We also have dinner with friends, and often go to movies at the venerable South Duff Avenue cinema — which recently upgraded its seating to include big lounge chairs that you can maneuver into an almost-reclining position. Nice — but you miss so much of the movie when you’re asleep. (However, from what I managed to stay awake for last Friday,  “Mama Mia” was pretty good.)  And, if you really wanted to,  you could find me at the library or at Café Diem on Main Street almost every day.  Both have newspapers, and one has pretty good coffee.

We also spent time last week in the Main Street information booth set up as part of the city’s preparation for the 20,000 or so bicyclists and followers taking part in the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa.  RAGBRAI is a very big deal, indeed, both here in Iowa and, apparently, around the nation, because many of those who asked for our help as “information dispensers” in that booth came from California and Texas and Michigan and Minnesota and — well, you get the idea.  Ames was one of the “overnight stops” on this year’s route, and the city needed  1,000 volunteers to help guide all those participants into and out of  campground venues and  the downtown area, where the big outdoor party with its entertainment venues took place.  It was fun.

None of this, of course,  is especially startling or important, and frankly, I would not be disappointed or surprised if you read this and wonder, “so what?” You, undoubtedly, have many more things going on in your busy lives. But for us — retired and spending this summer, in the autumn of our lives, in a truly perfect place — it’s exactly the way we hoped to spend our permanent  “days off” from work.