The other night I was going home from the Dennis Playhouse when I had to jam on the brakes. Two deer, one of them looking young and still with spots, ran across the road. The young one stopped for a bit and looked at me before running off into the trees. I was delighted with the surprise.

The sun is with us again. The morning is already warm. It will get to 81°. I can hear a lawnmower off in the distance. Not even a small breeze is stirring. The backyard is quiet. The dogs are napping. It is that sort of a morning.|

Summer Sundays were always different than any other Sundays of the year. The early masses were so filled there was often an overflow to the stairs outside the door. People stood the whole time to watch the Mass. We went, my brother and I, because we were heading to the beach for the day and didn’t want to waste any time. We’d sit on the steps. As long as we were close, I figured it counted as going to mass.

I marched with a drill team, St. Patrick’s Shamrocks, for years. Almost every Sunday during the summer we had a competition. We went to early mass in a group, and not long after mass, we’d board the bus. We always sang on the bus. Our uniforms were usually hung on the windows in garment bags so we didn’t see much of the trip. Every year, we’d compete against the same drill teams. I remember early on, probably my first summer with the drill team, we had a competition in Lawrence. We came in third, the first time we ever placed. There were only three drill teams. I remember the first time we won the championship. Once we got home, we marched from the fire station to the school yard. The fire station whistle blew. I swear we were so excited we soared over the ground. We had a party that night.

I still have friends from those days. We stay connected by our shared experiences even if we don’t see each other. Every now and then we have a reunion, and there are no distances between us.

Today is dump day. The bags of trash are already outside. I have nothing planned for the rest of the day. My dance card is almost empty. We have only one uke concert this week so the summer has begun winding down.