What day is day one?
Just a couple questions to ponder. Is the Tuesday after Memorial Day day one of summer?
Is the first day without school the start of summer?
Is the official start of the swim season the first time you dip your toes into Tioga Pit? If that’s the case, then my summer has already begun. It wasn’t so much as the need to get into the water the wet my feet as the fact that we intended to go pier fishing and ended up at the pit.
I was wearing my good gray tennis shoes as opposed to last year’s not so good gray tennis shoes. Anyone who’s had a pit experience on the Iron Range knows that pit red requires a lot of Oxyclean. Toes clean up a lot easier, or at least can be covered in socks the next day.
So, by Monday we should all have our first day one.
Let’s think about what we should do on day one through Labor Day. Maybe we can slow down mentally, emotionally and, definitely when driving. When the ICTV team went to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, we all walked different ways around the town. We all had similar experiences. Cars slowed down and stopped for pedestrians—sometimes as much as half a block in advance. Even with our Minnesota nice mentality, we couldn’t believe it. It was Wisconsin WONDERFUL.
I read the police and sheriff’s reports and it amazes me how many fender benders we have when there isn’t ice or snow. I’m tempted to have them run the numbers, but my estimate is right now we are well ahead of January for dents and bumps. Trailers are bumping cars at gas stations, backing up into cars at Walmart, and people are discovering mysterious dents in their car doors. I read them every day. Plus, if you are a walker, you see the not-so-slow and rolls at the stop signs.
Please approach your first days carefully. It may be a tourist’s first day of summer. Or an elderly person’s first walk to the store. Taking that that extra minute to the lake, home to mow, or to this week’s graduation party could save injury and a car insurance deductible. Let your insurance agent have a quiet first day. Drive safe.