Rain, sunshine and fog are the order of the week. I drove by Sweetened Water Pond the other day and it had water in it. One of my friends used to say that when the ponds are full, it is time for winter. I sure hope they were wrong.

Happy Birthday to all who celebrated their day this past week. Big balloons go out to Amera Mello, who celebrated on June 25; Emma Walterdorf on June 30; Sophia Santos on July 1; Rafael De Assis on July 2; Anthonella Dias on July 3; William Hagerty and Ava Parker on July 4; Maverick Sylva on July 5; Beatriz Silva on July 6; and to Schnyeder De Oliveira, Jhon Moreia and Noah Nascimento who all celebrate their day on July 7.

Congratulations to Margaret and Jim Mullen of Chappaquiddick and Cromwell, Conn. on celebrating 50 years of marriage! Congratulations and here is to many more years together.

As I write this, the fireworks are going off. They are late because of the rain that saturated the parade but did not break any spirit. The Colonial Navy returned soaking wet in their wool jackets; the float with the participants for Island Autism came around the corner with its riders saturated but smiling; and the drummers were drumming till the bottom of the school parking lot. The spirit was there.

With family here, we searched for a place to eat and made reservations for 10. We went to The Square Rigger and had a wonderful meal. The wait staff was friendly and attentive, and the menu was full of a variety of Brazilian food and American. The food was delicious and the portions were generous. Yes, it was pricey, but comparable to most other restaurants in town.

I think the Fourth of July is the summer version of getting ready for Christmas. You work hard to get your gardens ready, get the lawn green and trimmed, make sure the house looks great both inside and out, you have the right food for guests and pray for good weather. The day comes, you have a great time and everyone enjoys themselves. And then the fireworks are over, everyone goes home and you wake up the next morning happy and tired and wondering what to do now. It’s time to relax and enjoy the rest of the summer.

Have a great week and keep the home candles burning.