Spring is here

I love the onset of warmer weather. For me it means just one thing. Spending evenings sitting out front on the neighbor's porch doing nothing. Talking about anything and everything. And I don't feel bad about it at all. I cherish it, in fact. I paid my dues working twenty years in the freezing cold or hellishly hot kitchens around town. Working every evening and every weekend and every holiday. No more. I'm going to sit back with a cool Perrier, the sounds of cicadas chirping through the Sycamore trees and enjoy life. I'm reminded of the Andy Griffith Show episode called "Man in a Hurry", where Barney and Andy are sitting on the porch. Andy's strumming his guitar softly, and Barny says, "Yeah, I think I'll go home...take a nap...go over to Thelma Lou's and watch some TV... " Andy nods. Then he says it again. Andy says, "hmm." Then Barney says it again. The man who's in a hurry can't take it of course and yells, "Just do it!" That whole scene is so good. They all sing a little song in this scene too. The song is "The Little Brown Church in the Vale." It's really nice. I like my little part of town. It's like Mayberry to me. I live on the same block I grew up on. I go to the same church I was born and baptized in. All the folks there have known me my whole life. And now I know some the young ones their whole life. I wouldn't trade it for the world. No job, no amount of money or luxury could take me away from it. It's my home plain and simple.

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