Made Glorious Summer by the Stove

By Steve Carr

This month we celebrate President’s Day. Holidays are significant to me. They evoke memories and give me pause.

When I awake on President’s Day, grateful for the many blessings given to us by our forefathers and inspired leaders, I’ll look out the window at the flag the Boy Scouts have staked in my lawn. I’ll notice it frozen, fully unfurled, and be thankful for my warm bed, before I pull the pillow over my face. There I’ll pause.

Valentine’s Day is another special holiday, filled with memories. I remember it’s always cold.

I never forget my friend’s late-January birthday. As I scrape ice from my windshield, I’m reminded to call and congratulate him for the addition of another warmth-giving candle on his cake.

I know I’m sounding peevish. And yes, I’ve spent thirty years defending everything Idaho. But let’s face it, flying kites in a ten-below wind chill isn’t much fun.  Yes, I ski. I grew up at Kelly’s Canyon, Bogus Basin, and Sun Valley. But I’m ready for water skiing. In my new Idaho—The World of Steve—ski season will last from December 15 to January 15. On the sixteenth, the snow will melt and the sun will appear, along with my shorts and the new season’s swimwear.