Today, Sunday, was the final day of Spring. However, we have already had more than a month of summer and summer temps. There is no shortage of rain here, but hot temps have been persistent. A week of cool weather is forecast, however, and we are looking forward to it. The weeds are taller than we are, and all gardens need attention badly. In a 15 minute blitz yesterday we filled two huge lawn waste bags. We need a few hours of that to get the yard back to where we can say we are in control.
We are celebrating Solstice on Monday, the first full day of summer. Not much planned in the way of special activities. We might take a drive, but probably won't. The garage needs a bit of paint, and a door salesman is coming tomorrow morning at 10 am.
Last Thursday I went to Kingsville, dropping Deb off at her mom's LTC home, and then going to Lakeside Park again to read for a few hours. It was a beautiful day, with a cool breeze off Lake Erie. That has been my only non-essential outing of late.
Lake Erie, on a very pleasant late spring afternoon. The baby geese were all gone.
Looking south across Lake Erie from Lakeside Park, Kingsville. In movie news, I am behind again in my exclusive reporting. Deb's going away pick from last weekend was Shaft's Big Score, from 1972. Richard Roundtree is back, but the Isaac Hayes score and song are not, nor is the white police lieutenant. Nowhere near as engaging as the first Shaft film, this one does have a pretty exciting finale, with a helicopter kamikaze pilot chasing Shaft through some docklands scenery that is rather death-defying. However, it isn't really worth the time to watch it.
Showing on Criterion until June 30th.
Next came my choices from last week. From the main list I chose Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo, from 1970. With a title like that, and Toshiro Mifune reprising his role, what could go wrong? A masterpiece, right? The first thing to go wrong was the very lame script, one of the worst of any samurai film ever seen. It plodded along as if it had all the time in the world, and as if it didn't matter what was in the script, because with the two lead actors, what could go wrong? Well, those two great actors had absolutely no chemistry in this movie. Their scenes together are among the least memorable of the film. A huge disappointment!
Now showing on Criterion.
My going away film was Bertrand Tavernier's A Sunday In The Country, from 1984. A sweet film, it can be added to the list of decent films that have virtually nothing earth-shattering that happens in them. These almost Zen-like films are among my favourite kind. In this one, an elderly painter in turn-of-the-century France welcomes his son and his wife and their three children for their weekly Sunday visit. The younger daughter also arrives, but unexpectedly. She visits her father less often, but she is his favourite. A lovely film.
Leaving Criterion June 30th. Last Friday Jenn G. visited. We got caught up during her nice long outdoor visit, and we shared 5 different ales. There was food all day, too! She is off to B.C. for six weeks at the end of June, returning mid-August. That was our first social event since last autumn! We are in constant touch on Messenger, and she watches Criterion! I'm hoping to get her subscribed to the upcoming DSO season, too, where we could meet several times next year for ale, food, and music. However, it was just announced that the border with the US will remained closed at least through July 22nd. I'd say it's just about time to reopen.
Mapman Mike
Lake Erie from the bluff overlooking Lakeside Park, Kingsville. There is still open water a ways out there, by the shoreline areas are solidly frozen. There is still some shipping going on, but always accompanied now by a coast guard ice breaker. 
