Has summer started? That depends on whom you ask. The official astronomical start of the summer season is June 20, but the meteorological start was June 1. For most of us, when the kids are out of school, that’s when summer begins. No more teachers. No more books. At least that’s what Alice Cooper said.

But there are some other signs of summer, too, and they come from what we sense in our olfactory system. Yes, the scents of summer.

My friend Brent recently told me how he enjoys the smell of lake water, as it takes him back to the days of his youth at Okoboji.

Others think the smell of chlorine in a swimming pool is a definite sign that summer has begun. I don’t know if the summer sun on concrete has a scent, but what I recall of it, combined with the pool chlorine, takes me right back to my youthful days at the pool.

On a related note, when the scent of coconut hits, someone nearby is typically applying sunscreen — or mixing a Malibu Rum drink.

I wrote last week about s’mores, and those of you who connected with that may also connect the smell of a campfire with summer. And that smell sticks with you — or at least with your clothes.

For me, the smell of freshly cut and slightly damp grass is the scent of summer, at least in June. Mowing dry grass in August is a different smell altogether.

My mother had peonies planted around our yard, and that scent continues to be memorable for me, especially when I got too close to them with the lawn mower.

Whenever I catch a whiff of meat cooking on the grill, I look around to see where it is coming from. The old saying, “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire” may hold true, but I prefer, “Where there’s smoke, there are cheeseburgers.”

And, finally, who can forget the earthy smell of rain when it first hits dry ground? Scientists call that geosmin. I call it another wonderful scent of summer.

How about you? What scents remind you of summer? Send me a note and let me know.

Have a terrific Tuesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com

See Shane Goodman's previous columns here.

STRAY THOUGHTS
Live-streaming gov’t meetings should be the norm

By Randy Evans

You don’t often hear anyone extol the benefits of the COVID pandemic. But I did few weeks ago — when I stood before the Storm Lake Kiwanis club and talked about government transparency in Iowa.

I did not wade into the debate over masks, social distancing or vaccinations. It was a polite audience, but I was not silly enough to needlessly venture onto that thin ice.

What I said about the pandemic was this: State and local governments embraced, even if grudgingly, the benefits of live-streaming their board meetings during the pandemic so the public could watch from wherever they were.

[...]

Meet Callie Avon
Teaching ESOL at Delaware Elementary

By T.K. West

Originally from Salina, Kansas, Callie Avon completed an undergraduate degree in elementary education at Kansas Wesleyan and a master’s degree at Baker University. She spent the first four years of her career teaching in a fourth-grade classroom at Stewart Elementary School in Salina.

Then, in August 2015, Avon relocated with her family to Altoona for her husband’s job. She first worked in the Des Moines Public School District for seven years before joining the Southeast Polk Community School District. Avon has been in the elementary education field for 13 years. This is her second year with the district and her first year as an ESOL teacher at Delaware Elementary School.

[...]

Happy work anniversary to Shane Goodman at Big Green Umbrella Media!

These celebrities were born on this date: Angelina Jolie · Bar Refaeli · Bruce Dern · Dr. Ruth Westheimer · El DeBarge · Horatio Sanz · James Callis • Quincy Brown • Russell Brand • Bradley Walsh • Michelle Phillips • Skip Marley

SUBMIT: Send your birthday greetings and congratulatory notes to: tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

The answer to yesterday's riddle:

Why do I sympathize with batteries? BECAUSE, LIKE BATTERIES, I'M NOT INCLUDED IN ANYTHING EITHER! - Gail Tomlinson. Or, I have a positive and negative side! - Rex Post. Or, Because I always run down! - William Snyder. Or, because I can lose my spark-le! - Diane Mergens. Or, Because we all need to stop and "recharge" once in a while! - Carolyn Rogers. Or, according to Jolene Goodman, I have spark! (Thanks Jolene!)

Today's riddle

What happens when a strawberry gets run over crossing the street?

Have a guess? Email tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

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