"I CAN'T GET HOME, BECAUSE THERE IS A PARADE IN MY WAY."

As a child growing up in Detroit a staple of my youth was our annual trip to the small town of Romeo each fall. Surrounded by an abundance of orchards, it provided an opportunity for one to pick their own apples or peaches, purchase fruit pies still warm from the oven, or savor the taste of some freshly made apple cider.  It was an event I always anticipated, even though as a child, the trip seemed to take so long that I always felt as if we were driving to the end of the earth. Fifteen years ago, my husband and I were looking for a new home and we decided that "the end of the earth" would be a charming place to raise our four beautiful daughters. It turned out we were right, but making the transition from city life to country life has brought us countless surprises.
One thing I discovered early on, but somehow, always seem to forget each year, is that our small town loves a parade!  Annually, on Labor Day weekend, our town hosts the "Romeo Peach Festival"; paying homage to all those orchards that so many of  us as young Detroiters, visited as children.  The festival runs from Thursday afternoon until Monday evening, and along with craft shows, Bed Races, a carnival midway, and the very popular "Beers Around the World" attraction, it also provides, not one, but FOUR parades for the literally thousands of visitors that grace our town that weekend.  On Sunday evening following the bed races, the "Festival of Cars" begins. This is a parade for anyone who happens to be a classic car aficionado; providing a plethora of beautifully restored vehicles for viewers to admire.   (This is also an event, which my friend, Lori Lemanski Cetlinski, was a proud participant of this year!)  Immediately afterwards is the "Night Parade," in which participants decorate their trucks or floats with Christmas lights, illuminating the night's sky, and lending a feeling of enchantment to the evening's festivities. Bright and early Monday morning is the "Children's Parade,"  which is the precursor to the main attraction, "The Peach Festival Floral Parade."  All of the parades provide wonderful entertainment and fun for all ages to enjoy... except if you are not attending them, and are merely trying to get to your house which happens to be on the other-side of the parade route.
My first summer as a resident I took my family with me when I ran to the store, unknowingly doing so, right before the Floral Parade was about to begin.  A few minutes later, when attempting to return to our house which is just off of 32 mile road and west of Van Dyke, I quickly ascertained that every avenue that I normally utilized to take home was now blocked by a parade of enormous proportions, and I was not familiar enough with the area to figure out a way around it.  With no other option available, I did what any sensible person would do; I parked the car and asked the family if they wanted to watch a parade!  We did so... for the next two and a half hours.
Last night, fifteen summers later, I did the same thing.  I was returning from visiting my daughters and quickly realized I had not factored in the evening parades.  I know my way around town now though, so I decided upon a little more circuitous route, one that would help me to bypass the festivities.  As I waited at the stop sign that would allow me to cross over Van Dyke and provide me access back to my  house, I was entertained by a large group of townsfolk who had been walking-participants in the parade and were sporting Sumo Wrestling costumes as they waddled across the street, in front of me.
"Only in a small town," I thought to myself, with a delighted smile on my face.
Peach Festival is not the only occasion during which parades have forced me to take the time to pause to reflect upon one of life's "unexpected moments." The high school that I live across the street from has an annual homecoming parade, during which the street is closed off to allow students to march down it together, in anticipation of the big game.  I watch them wistfully, as I remember my own years of high school, at Osborn High, back in Detroit, recognizing that this special time of life is often, far too fleeting. Then there is the "Christmas Parade," which I happened upon last year on my way home from  a meeting at work.  This was one occasion when I was lucky enough to have had food in the car with me, which afforded me the pleasure of just sitting back and partaking of my repast, as I enjoyed the parade that was passing before me.
Small town life is always full of surprises; whether it is the high school band marching down my street while practicing for the fall's big games, or the deer outside my back window, making its way through my subdivision on its way to some unknown destination. Life in this place has a way of making you slow down to enjoy the journey a little bit more...which is something we all should do more frequently, regardless of where we may live.   Blessings, Amycita

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SOME QUESTIONS OF OLYMPIC-SIZED IMPORTANCE

While I really enjoyed watching the Summer Olympics this year, viewing it has left me with many questions.  For example, how is it possible for those gymnasts to complete so many twists and flips in succession, when they are performing on the floor mat???  Without propelling one's self off of a trampoline or something, it seems impossible that one could elevate the body high enough to be able to accomplish such amazing feats.  And how do their backs feel when they are finished?  Do they need to borrow my back brace?  Often, I feel the need to put my brace on just from having watched THEM perform.
Then, I was wondering why Ping-Pong was instead called Table Tennis, during the Olympics?  I asked my husband, but that only resulted in a discussion about how the name Ping-Pong was originally coined.  Was it because of the sound of the ball pinging and ponging off the table?  Following that deep discussion I decided that Table Tennis sounded more official, and I will refer to it as such, even when the Olympics are not on.
Next, I wondered why it was ever required that women wear tiny two-piece bathing suits, in order to compete in the Women's Beach Volleyball event?  I know they relaxed that rule this year, but I believe it was required, in years past.  Did the Olympic committee feel that women playing in bikinis would help the players' performances?  Or, perhaps, did they feel, more importantly, that women playing in bikinis would help the ratings performance?  I suspect it was men who decided on that particular requirement, in either case.
Then, I wondered why the men had to wear those ugly swim caps during their events?  I can understand why women wear them...it is because, as any woman knows, if you have long hair and you come up from swimming underwater your hair is very unsightly, as it hangs in front of your face.  The men would not have this problem though, so I was puzzled.  It was Olivia who answered this question.  She said that she thought, that swimmers' ears, sticking out from their heads, could possibly result in their times being slower.  I am satisfied with that answer because some of those swimmers have very large ears, that do, in fact, protrude a bit from their heads.
I also wondered how people, especially the men, can compete in those running races that include jumping over hurdles???  That seems very challenging, and it appears that they are not even looking down to see where the hurdles are as they compete.  It is like the men are doing the splits in mid-air (and I thought it was very hard for men to do the splits, even when not in mid-air) while simultaneously running as fast as they can, and making sure not to look down at the hurdles that they are jumping over.  That one remains a puzzle.
And what about the horses?  Do they like racing around, and jumping over hurdles?  Or, maybe, do they wish they were out in some meadow grazing on some tasty grass instead?
Watching the Games also made me wonder what event that I could participate in?  Could I compete in the Trampoline Event perhaps?  I quickly ruled that out, and a multitude of other events, due to the fact that I have already undergone three spinal fusion surgeries. If I were to re-injure my back the only thing I would end up with is pain of Olympic-sized proportions.
I could probably compete in a running event, but then I remembered it would be necessary for me to run, which I prefer never to do, under any circumstances. All the swimming events are out, too, of course, because wearing one of those ugly swim caps would mess up my hair.  Also, it would be necessary for me to wear a bathing suit and I haven't worn one of those in years, because trying suits on, in order to buy a new one, is too traumatic for me and causes me to sink into a deep depression. Olivia has informed me that there is a site online, which will tell you what event you should compete in....but it requires one to supply their weight and height, so I will not be using that one, anytime soon. I guess I will just watch the Olympics instead, since, even if I had a good back, didn't mind wearing a bathing suit and an ugly swim cap, or didn't mind running, I still would not have the one thing necessary to compete in the Olympics....athletic ability of any kind. ;D