There are certain things that simply belong to summer.
Fresh tomatoes still warm from the garden.
Homemade ice cream.
The happy sounds of children splashing in the water.
The crack of a bat at a baseball game.
Sweet tea and watermelon on a hot afternoon.
The smell of freshly cut hay.
Honeysuckle drifting on the evening breeze.
Backyard barbecues.
The distant hum of a lawn mower somewhere down the road.
And, if you ask me . . . .
Butterflies and fireflies.
Every summer, there comes a day when I notice the grasshoppers again, with their buzzing and whirring in the tall grasses and weeds along the fence lines. Together with the cicadas droning in the afternoons, it has all been the sounds of summer for me.
One afternoon not long ago, I was walking along the edge of a nearby field when something sprang out of the tall grass ahead of me. It landed on a weathered fencepost just a few feet away and sat perfectly still. It was a grasshopper. Mottled olive-green in color, perched motionless on the grey wood.
Most of us don’t give grasshoppers much consideration. They hop out of the way, disappear into the weeds, and go about whatever it is grasshoppers spend their summer afternoons doing. We notice them for a second or two, then we continue along on our way.
This time, for reasons I can’t quite explain, I didn’t.
I stopped.
A few weeks ago, after saying goodbye to my little Chihuahua, Allie, I was sitting quietly at home when an unexpected visitor stopped by my window.
Now, before I tell you about the visitor, I should probably explain something.
Birds and I are already on fairly familiar terms.
A pair of House Sparrows built a nest this spring in a ventilation outlet just outside my apartment on the third floor. For weeks, they came and went carrying bits of grass, feathers, and whatever else sparrows use when decorating a nursery. Not long ago, the young ones finally fledged. For several days afterward, the babies could often be seen perched nearby and on my windowsill itself, fluttering their wings and loudly demanding food as though they had never been fed a meal in their lives.
As a result, birds visit my windowsill rather regularly.
Sparrows stop by.
Finches stop by.
Occasionally a woodpecker appears, drilling in the bricks and mortar for insects, spiders, and insect pupae hiding in the crevices. they inspect it all with great seriousness.
Birds come and go so often that seeing one outside my window or on my window ledge is hardly unusual.
Happy June and Happy Summer, y’all —
Here in the Midwest, on the outskirts of St. Louis, Missouri, June is the “Early Introduction to Summer” month. This is when all of the new summer activities are still exciting and fun before the inevitable heat and humidity of August wear you down. But we won’t go on about that stuff yet.
Right now, it is an exciting time, with June unquestionably the month of baby deer.
Birds begin to raise their young; baby squirrels and bunnies venture out of nests for the first time; there are summer barbeques, trips to the beach, water balloons, toasting marshmallows over a campfire, charging down the backyard slippy slide, visits to the park, and so much more.
But now, changing the topic to address the obvious for those who follow along here regularly— it has been a minute, as they say. Once again, I have been a few months away from writing following yet another extensive spinal surgery, for which I sincerely apologize to faithful followers. This surgery was extensive, from top to bottom, with the resultant recovery and rehab a much longer and slower hill to climb back up to get going again.
But more about that in a minute. We have a lot of catching up to do.
As this is written here on the outskirts of St. Louis, Missouri, it is late August, the “Dog Days of Summer”, 103F degrees outside in the full afternoon sunshine, and a withering heat index of 117.
Whoa. That’s hot, by any stretch of the imagination or thermometer.
Squirrels are flared out flat as a pancake, cooling their bellies on shaded concrete. Birds are eerily silent and panting in the trees.
It is simply “Hot!”, and the August heat wave we are experiencing reminded me of a poem by Shel Silverstein, from his book of poems and drawings — “A Light in the Attic.”
The poem appropriately titled — “It’s Hot”, is reprinted below.
Humor aside, many areas of the country are and have been experiencing dangerous heat levels this summer. This stretch of combined excessively high heat and humidity is unprecedented for this area, especially given the duration. Please take the necessary steps to keep yourself, your family, your loved
ones, and your pets safe.
If you must work or be outside for any length of time, please remember to wear loose-fitting, lightweight clothing, take frequent cooling breaks, drink plenty of water and other clear liquids to stay hydrated, and avoid prolonged, direct sun exposure as much as possible in the afternoons.
The duration of this extreme heat means that conditions become progressively more dangerous each day for everyone, especially for the elderly, the very young, pets, and those exposed to the heat for extended periods outdoors, or even indoors without proper cooling. Again, Children, Seniors, and Pets are especially vulnerable to high heat. It is important to remember that in times such as this, the impacts of excessive heat can be CUMULATIVE, making it all more insufferable and dangerous the longer it goes on.
Heat Stroke is a life-threatening emergency with possible life-long, and life-threatening effects. Be smart, know the signs of Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke, be careful, and stay safe.
As anyone who knows me well is aware, I do love the change of seasons here in the Midwest on the outskirts of St. Louis, Missouri, and try my best to appreciate each
season and its unique beauty. But, for various health reasons, I do not handle the heat and humidity of Summer very well anymore.
So, taking liberties and having a little fun with William Shakespeare, I offer the following little ditty, inspired by the William Shakespeare page on Facebook several years ago —
“Thank You!” for dropping by to visit! Please take care of yourself, your loved ones, and your pets during these prolonged summer heat waves. Hang in there with me — Autumn is coming soon! And as always, please remember — Kindness Matters!
Best Wishes & Blessings! — Jim (and Red!) 🤠 🐻
With children and grandchildren around (and for those of any age who like to color!), we invite you to visit “LITTLE RED BEAR’S ‘BACK TO SCHOOL’ COLORING PAGES” for hours of family coloring fun and time together!
If you enjoyed this piece, you may also like — “I Will Greet This Day With Love In My Heart” and “Wishing You Deep Peace, Love, Happiness, and Joy – And A Very Good Day!”
(New Visitors — Welcome! To find out what we are all about, please check out — “Welcome To My Writing Pages!” and “About the Blog, Jim & Little Red Bear” — and sign up to follow and be notified of every new post! Because really, why in the world wouldn’t you?)
(It’s Hot – Poem & Drawing by Shel Silverstein)
Meet Little Red Bear & His Friends — “Once Upon A Time In A Very Special Woods . . . .”
This is a purposefully non-monetized, ad-free site to be able to offer the most enjoyable reading and viewing experience for everyone, with all content freely shared, and generates no 
income to offset the costs of maintaining and operating.
If you enjoy your visits and time with us, I invite you to Join our new Patron Community today, because together we can do so much!
With the help of patrons, we are able to donate free print copies of “The Adventures of Little Red Bear: The First Holler!” to Senior Citizens, School Libraries, Classrooms, and to those who could otherwise not obtain a copy.
Patrons also help my friend Little Red Bear and me to continue this as a Non-Monetized site free of distracting advertisements, dedicated solely to entertainment and educational purposes while sharing positive messages of Happiness, Inspiration, Kindness, Environmental Awareness, and Conservation with everyone.
We invite you to Join Us In Making A Positive Difference In The World!
Happy National Root Beer Float Day!
According to the National Day Calendar folks, whose version of history is provided below, the Root Beer Float was initially known as the “Black Cow.” But not in our home
growing up. Although the perfect summer treat, my father loved and made Root Beer Floats for us year-round. But, a Root Beer Float was a Root Beer Float because he had another name for a Black Cow — that was a float made with Coca-Cola!
We also had “Purple Cows” made with Grape Soda, and “Red Cows” made with Vess Cream Soda. And the “Orange Cow” made with Orange Soda, of course.
Growing up, we had a herd of ice cream float cows of all different colors in our family growing up! And of course, I would have been remiss not sharing and passing along a special family tradition to my own kids along the way, right?
Returning to the Root Beer Float, though, here is the official version of the Root Beer Float story, from the National Day Calendar page —
“Also known as the “Black Cow,” the root beer float got its start in Colorado in a mining 
camp. Frank J. Wisner of Cripple Creek, Colorado, gets the credit for inventing the “Black Cow” way back in August of 1893.
“One night Wisner, owner of the Cripple Creek Cow Mountain Gold Mining Company, was staring out the window and thinking about the line of soda waters he was producing for the citizens of Cripple Creek when he came upon an idea. The full moon that night shined on the snow-capped Cow Mountain and reminded him of a scoop of vanilla ice cream. He hurried back to his bar and scooped a spoonful of ice cream into the children’s favorite flavor of soda, Myers Avenue Red Root Beer. After trying, he liked it and served it the very next day. It was an immediate hit.
“Wisner named the new creation, “Black Cow Mountain” but the local children shortened the name to “Black Cow”.”
If you have little ones heading off and excited (or possibly not?) to start the new school year soon, I invite you to visit Little Red Bear’s “Back-to-School” Coloring Pages for Free downloads and coloring fun with the family here!
Thank you always for stopping by to visit!
Who can resist the combination of creamy, vanilla ice cream and ice-cold, frothy root beer on a hot summer day? I encourage you to set some time aside to make and enjoy a Root Beer Float (or another colorful float if you choose!) with your family and friends this weekend. Life is short. Enjoy the little things and make special memories with loved ones!
I was raised on A&W, but now also really enjoy ice-cold Barq’s, as well. What is your favorite brand of Root Beer? Please share and let us know in the comments about other special brands to try!
Take care, best wishes, and God bless! ‘Til next time — Jim (and Red!) 🤠 🐻
If you enjoyed this piece, you may also like — “I Will Greet This Day With Love In My Heart” and Wishing You Deep Peace, Love, Happiness, and Joy – And A Very Good Day!
(New Visitors — Welcome! To find out what we are all about, please check out — “Welcome To My Writing Pages!” and “About the Blog, Jim & Little Red Bear” — and sign up to follow and be notified of every new post! Because really, why in the world wouldn’t you?)
Meet Little Red Bear & His Friends — “Once Upon A Time In A Very Special Woods . . . .”
This is a purposefully non-monetized, ad-free site to be able to offer the most enjoyable reading and viewing experience for everyone, with all content freely shared, and generates no 
income to offset the costs of maintaining and operating.
If you enjoy your visits and time with us, I invite you to Join our new Patron Community today, because together we can do so much!
With the help of patrons, we are able to donate free print copies of “The Adventures of Little Red Bear: The First Holler!” to Senior Citizens, School Libraries and Classrooms, and to those who could otherwise not obtain a copy.
Patrons also help my friend Little Red Bear and me to continue this as a Non-Monetized site free of distracting advertisements, dedicated solely to entertainment and educational purposes while sharing positive messages of Happiness, Inspiration, Kindness, Environmental Awareness, and Conservation with everyone.
We invite you to Join Us In Making A Positive Difference In The World!
The Front Porch by James Milson 