Growing Up Adirondack by Mitch Lee

Cooling down and enjoying summer water sprinkler fun

It was a humid July day in 1973 and the temperature was extremely high even before the noon whistle sounded.

At first I thought it was going to be one of those days that it would be just too hot to play outside.

Out in the tree tops I could hear the cicadas buzzing. It sounded like they were beckoning me to join them, so I ventured outside despite the heat.

Although my dog Mutt had found a cool spot under the shade of a Cedar tree, her tongue was hanging out and she was panting loudly.

I thought a dish of cool water would perk her up, so I went to get out the hose.When I couldn’t find a dish to put the water in, I pulled the hose across the lawn to where she was laying.

The first douse of water that coursed through the hose was way too hot, but the flow of the water from the well quickly cooled. Mutt drank the water directly from the hose, and I took a couple sips too. I then let the water run all over her back which she didn’t seem to mind.

As the day wore on it got even warmer. It was nice just sitting there in the shade. Mutt seemed content to stay put, but I needed to partake in a little recreation.

I went out to the garden and found the circular water sprinkler and attached it to the hose. I peeled off my socks and shoes and stood square in the fan of water. It reached all the way up to my shoulders.

The water was so cold that at first it stung my skin.

I spotted a Wiffleball in the flower bed and left the chilly water to retrieve it. I placed it on top of the water spray in an attempt to keep it aloft. It was quite a trick!

Mutt saw the ball and came to join me. I played a game of keep-away with her as I ran through the sprinkler. She eventually got ahold of the ball and chomped it to small bits, bringing an abrupt end to our game.

We both took a break and laid for a while in a puddle on the grass. I listened to the boats off in the distance on Limekiln Lake as I stared at the blue cloudless sky. The air was so heavy it felt too thick to breathe.

I got up and turned the knob of the faucet until the sprinkler fell silent. I moved to a dry spot under the shade of a Maple tree. Mutt gathered the remnants of the ball and joined me.

The dampness of my shorts and t-shirt did little to ward off the heat, however I did feel a little bit of relief.

The heat waves emitting from the paved road to the lake, made it look like a mirage. It was too hot to venture to the lake, so we just continued to lounge in the shade.

My dog and I took a little nap under the shade of a Maple on the hottest day of the year, growing up Adirondack.

Mitch Lee, Adirondack native & storyteller, lives at Big Moose Lake.ltmitch3rdny@aol.com

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