112. Summertime, and the livin' is easy

Now that the Primary is over, and the Memorial Day weekend is a memory, it time for all good Kentuckians to turn to one of their real passions, politics. Just kidding. I do want to point out that one of Governor Fletcher's former cabinet secretaries announced yesterday that he wants to run for Congress here along the Left Bank of the Ohio River near Milepost 606. His name is Erwin Roberts. He made his name in Fletcher's cabinet, holding two different roles, while doing so taking the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution when called to testfy before the Franklin County Grand Jury in the governor's hiring scandal. The Fifth Amendment, of course, offers the privelege against self-incrimination. In a statement yesterday, Roberts said he felt he had done nothing wrong during the hiring scandal, which leads one to ask, if you felt that way, why did you take the Fifth? Maybe it is too early to ask such a question, but since it will no doubt be asked over and over later, why not get the ball rolling. As a true bill of his thankfulness to the governor for having hired him not once, but twice, he bailed out on the governor and endorsed Anne Northup in her race in the Primary. Northup lost 36 to 50 against the governor in last week's Republican Primary. That makes two losses in a row for Northup, who the previous fall lost to John Yarmuth, the current and likely future congressman from Kentucky's Third Congressional District, representing all but 12 precincts of the Louisville-Jefferson County Metro. It is time for John to start spending some time at local Catholic picnics, as he did all last summer in preparation for his November election. According to the latest "Week Ahead" releases from his press secretary Stuart Perelmuter, he is going to be doing just that while he is home for a short recess.

So, other than that, it is nigh-on close to summertime, and everyone is sort of laying back getting in the appropriate mood for such a season. There was a time when summertime "began" earlier than it does now. Anyone familiar with William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream will recall that the play takes place during the shortest night of the year, which is generally around June 22, which is generally either the day of, or one day off of, the official beginning of Summer, at least in the northern hemisphere, as our calendars are centered on solstices and equinoxes. (You should have learned all this in 5th grade). But, "midsummer" and "midwinter" festivals are generally centered on the solstice, putting the actually beginnings of the seasons respectively back to May 1 and November 1, days which themselves are often afforded celebrations - May Day and All Saints Day, which gives us the more secularly popular All Hallows Eve, or Hallowe'en, which is probably my favorite day of the year, and part of my favorite season of the year. But, that is jumping ahead.

Right now, as I started to say at the beginning, it is time to turn to one of Kentucky's favorite passions - in addition to politics. That would be fishing. George Gershwin's song from Porgy and Bess comes to mind -- Summertime, And the livin' is easy - Fish are jumpin' - And the cotton is high. We don't have much cotton here in Kentucky, but the corn is beginning to rise, and what is left of the tobacco crop has been planted and the seedlings have shot through the dirt. Here in the city, most pools opened either this weekend or the one coming up.

Summertime, And the livin' is easy. Enjoy.