Summertime Blues
November 6th, 2021
SEASONS CHANGE / TENNIS / FRIENDSHIP
November 6th, 2021 was probably the end of the outdoor summer tennis season. We might eke out a day when we all arrive with “base wear” and gloves for at least one hand, but it won’t be tennis anymore. On the day before the 6th, our “commissioner” messaged me in the evening to see if I could be a late substitution. I was committed to doing some small work at a property but it could be easily shifted to the afternoon. I also knew it was the final weekend when my garbage service would accept leaves and compost so whatever I get to the curb by Monday night will be the traditional end. Anything beyond that might just have to be snuck into the firepit or taken to the Town dropoff location.
Neither of these reasons discouraged me from making Saturday morning work for tennis because I think this may be the last sparkling weekend for a while. One of the guys had an unforecast work conflict so I decided my day would begin at Simley High School in Inver Grove Heights MN on a beautiful morning. The weather and the company did not disappoint. The “commish”, who I will call A was there holding down the fort. While he was there before I arrived, I assume he arrived early, assessed the court, measured the net height, and secured the strap in the middle. One of the players today, R, was one of our infrequent participants who spends much of his summers on an idyllic lake in Northern Minnesota. R simply has a “better offer”. Nevertheless, he is a blast when he joins us as he has an interesting approach to the game and mixes in creative spins and alternating touch and drive shots. He is a blast to play with. Finally, we were joined by J a really strong and consistent player who is an example of the ever-increasing quality of play that the “commish” has recruited into our tennis gang.
While a bit corny, you meet the nicest people on a tennis court. Each of the people that join in the play brings a little something different. I posted about the group previously in a post titled “Climate Change”. It is instructive for me to realize when I wrote that in mid-October I was sure that “summer was fading fast”. Perhaps the weather will prove me wrong again as we embraced another weekend in the 60s in November which is a bonus in Minnesota. With that, it is time for my first music reference of the night about summer fading. The music reminds me of the same things I feel about tennis as the season fades. You never know whether you will get back to a place that you love or a time in your life that you treasure. All the more reason to make the most of each day. I was able to see the band in the first music reference above a few years back in Las Vegas. A couple of years later, one of the key elements that make them special passed away. No time like the present. Rest in Peace Walter Becker who succumbed to esophageal cancer.
To describe the sky this morning would do it an injustice. While I arrived with a “base layer”, the other three players wore shorts and I think that would have been comfortable today. Back to the sky. The way I described it as I looked over the backboard and fence was that the sky was simply so blue without a cloud in the sky that a jigsaw puzzle would have been highly difficult to complete the image because half of the pieces would all look the same.
When the end of the tennis season comes I am always a bit sad. While there are other options, I will miss the gang. Nevertheless, the remainder of the day was still wide open. I find on those Saturdays that I play tennis, the day becomes a productive one. It could be that my spirit is lifted by spending some time with some mates. I stopped at Home Depot on the way home and picked up a toilet seat that needed to be replaced and then went home. I grabbed some lunch and then went over to a property, and finished up a drywall patch around a new thermostat and painted the wall, and replaced a toilet seat. Next, I went to another place and assessed the details of getting the irrigation system blown out. Finally, it was back home and a walk with the dog and then cut the lawn and swept up the leaves.
Tomorrow will be EVEN NICER than the 6th so the gutters will get emptied of their leaves and the last of the ornamentals will get trimmed back for the winter along with any more leaves hiding in the beds. Being able to do this kind of work amidst 65F temperatures is simply crazy and wonderful. While it is controversial for most, global warming will be welcome at some level in Minnesota. While not politically correct, on those -20F winter days, I think it makes sense to open up a can of freon once in a while if it means it might moderate our winter temperatures (just kidding).
While the post was short tonight, I am finished and I believe so is the summertime weather. Here is the tune for the night in deference to the title. Another tip of the cap to one of my favorite bands of my youth. Hope to see you tomorrow. I did not set out to be a downer, but two of the original four members of The Who, the band of my youth are deceased. RIP Keith Moon & John Entwistle. So glad I got to see the whole gang. There is no time like the present. Maybe this winter is as good a time as ever to foster a new and interesting hobby.
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