The best thing about the 4th of July, to me, is that it marks a turning point. Yeah, there’s plenty of summer left – and the hottest/humidest part is yet to come – but at least the days are gradually growing shorter now. Before long, we’ll be seeing Halloween stuff in the stores.
(At least one of you just said “shut up!” out loud after reading that. Rude.)
Some people love 16 hours of daylight. I’m not one of them. Whether it’s dark at 5 p.m. or 10 p.m., my routine doesn’t change. Maybe if I were a farmer (dare to dream!) the extra light would come in handy, but my evenings are spent with The Office or Dexter or MasterChef or whatever show we’re binging regardless of the time of year. All that excess light just causes an annoying glare on the TV screen. I don’t mind morning walks in the dark either, even when there are creepy glowing eyes in the woods. It sure beats having your eyelids flutter open at 4:30 a.m. and finding the bedroom already light.
I’m not saying I hate summer – there is much to see and do and eat exclusive to this time of year – but I’d rank it fourth on my list of favorite seasons. And if that list includes seasonINGs, summer drops to 12th, edged out by basil but just ahead of Everything But the Bagel.
Mark’s Top 14 List of Seasons & Seasonings
- Autumn
- Salt
- Pepper
- Winter
- Garlic powder
- Cumin
- Thyme
- Spring
- Oregano
- Paprika
- Basil
- Summer
- Everything But the Bagel
- Onion powder
Anyway. The Fourth. It started with a bang (pre-dawn thunderstorms) but was otherwise pretty low-key. Skies cleared, the temperature soared, and we spent most of the afternoon in the basement, watching The Godfather on DVD. Random, but I queued up Independence Day last year, so instead of aliens blowing up the White House (god, I wish), someone made us an offer we couldn’t refuse. Later, we played cards, listened to records, got appropriately blitzed, and ended the evening with burgers and potato salad. We heard fireworks, and saw some flashes through the trees, but all in all it was pretty quiet ’round these parts. No complaints.
Saturday, we treated ourselves to lunch at Hi-Way Harry’s, a very unique steakhouse in Johnson Creek. The decor is Mid-Century Modern through and through, complete with a waterfall and lush gardens smack dab in the middle of the dining room. Very clubby and very red. Not surprisingly, the architect was a protege of Frank Lloyd Wright. Naturally, they make a great martini.
Next up, we hit two antique malls: one in Watertown, the other in Waterloo (and you can bet your ass I played the ABBA song as we rolled into town). Did we buy shit? Of course. Was it shit we needed? Of course not. Unless a ’70s-themed daisy-patterned stand mixer cover is considered a necessity.
I mean, that’s the point of vintage shops. Finding cool stuff you never knew you couldn’t live without.
Sunday was pretty much devoted to yard work. It was overcast, showery at times, and the humidity dropped a bit, so it was definitely more bearable than the past couple of weeks. We were even able to sit out on the deck for a bit while grilling a beer butt chicken.
How was your holiday? What’s your favorite season? Got a favorite seasoning?
Mark My Words 
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