North Riverside Day once again brought out the village for and end-of-summer frolic in the same outstanding weather it has always generated. As Mayor Richard Scheck said, it was the good North Riverside angels which continue to bring pleasant temperatures and a perfect day.
The community theater people did some selections from their upcoming production of “Godspell,” sporting red T-shirts with “Godspell” in big letters across the fronts. Quilters showed off their wares, which highlighted hours of handiwork in a multitude of colors. Brownies and Girl Scouts offered custom-made beaded bracelets, while Mater Christi Church volunteers had every kind of sausage imaginable hot on the grills. Rascals Restaurant had the wonderful pizza available by the slice … but who could stop at one slice!
Not content with offering one of the best fireworks displays in the area on July 4, North Riverside ended the day with another fireworks show.
I so enjoyed walking somewhat of a midway behind the village hall, where all the activity was going on, including all sorts of rides. I thought better of trying the mechanical bull, leaving that to the likes of the John Travoltas in their younger days.
The other attractions looked pretty much just for the kids. It is just fun catching up on the local gossip, as well as hearing any governmental complaints, on which I and my staffers take notes for followup. I find out about weddings, grandchildren, illnesses and, sadly, even deaths. The whole panoply of life plays out … and all in an afternoon.
Father Lou Tylka of Mater Christi and I compared puppy notes. He has two new puppies. I am still not sure just where he got them or what he intends to do with them, but word was traveling fast that he was now a stand-in for St. Francis, the patron saint of animals.
And I had a hard time shaking hands?”a real hazard for a politician?”because my new pup and I had gone for a ball at the same time, and I caught a bit of passing teeth on my hand.
Yes, I am kind of a new mom due to the arrival of Gracie. My 12-year-old scottie, Molly McDoo, was grieving for the passing of little Andy after a long illness. So, I thought that if she had a companion, she might be able to get through the grief. Most breeds have rescue operations, and Scottish terriers are no different. I called Scottie Rescue to see if they had any scotties around needing a home.
Gracie is a scottie mix, the other half being a Jack Russell terrier. She has all the behaviors of a Jack Russell and doesn’t look very much like a scottie. She is a little more than a year old, so she is full of pep and energy which is a highlight of the Jack Russells.
She never stops, and it reminds me of having a toddler around again which means watching her all the time lest she gets into trouble. She is into everything, requiring all doors and gates to be up and closed. Gates are taller, too, because she does not just jump?”she leaps.
She already found a gap in my fence, winding up in a neighbor’s yard. Two weeks in a dog training center, which we affectionately call a reform school, have helped a bit. But the energy level, exuberance and desire to be in perpetual motion has Molly and me rather stunned. We are also in line to take an abandoned post-Hurricane Katrina critter, so there may yet be another new member of the family coming along as well.
But, there is always room for an extra mouth to feed, I guess. As my grandmother used to say, if you are expecting more to come, you just put a bit more water into the soup. And so it goes.
