Pedley's Ponderings

We packed up the SUV and headed to the Black Hills late last month. While it was nice to get away, I was more tired coming home than I was leaving.

We visited some of the usual sites out there – Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park and other spots. It was beautiful, if not boiling hot. The car thermometer hit 110 degrees on the way out. Luckily the ol' A/C held up and didn't suffer the same fate as our unit at home.

I hadn't been to Mount Rushmore in 24 years. I'm happy to report it is still there and looks the same. I can appreciate the incredible effort and determination it took to sculpt the four presidents' faces into granite; however, once you've seen a sculpture, well, you've seen it.

The actual drive to Mount Rushmore is just as impressive as viewing it from inside the monument. Climbing the hills, taking in the scenery, and seeing a face peak out here and there is a truly unique experience. Prices at the gift shop also made my eyes pop and resulted in me leaving the premises approximately $150 poorer.

After visiting George, Tom, Teddy and Abe, we took the nature loop at Custer State Park. We saw most of the animals listed in the magazine that was handed to us at the entrance, and Oliver was pleased. The buffalo were near the road and the friendly donkeys were eager to greet guests. Pronghorns, sheep (goats?) and prairie dogs filled in during the rest of the route. Regardless of all the bountiful critters, it only took about 15 minutes before the kids started asking when we'd be finished.

Other than the aforementioned sight seeing, the rest of the vacation was rather uninvolved. We had a beach day at a lake but mostly took it easy. That was fine by me – I'm very good at sitting on my butt.

Still, returning home was a chore. No matter how much I try to work ahead before leaving on vacation, it always seems like I never get enough work done. I'm still dragging behind and wondering if I could just take another vacation instead.

• Summer Celebration was sizzling

I think I'm still sweating from the weekend. Regardless of the hot temps, Summer Celebration was a good one.

The event continues to see great attendance numbers and feature fantastic attractions each year, and 2024's edition was no different. While cooler weather would have been nice, at least it didn't rain.

My kids thoroughly enjoyed the foam party and DJ at Neebel Park on Friday night. Based on the amount of smiles I saw and giggles I heard, it seems other children did as well.

Saturday featured another great lineup capped by the Pork Tornadoes concert. There was a good crowd by the stage throughout the night while other folks settled towards the shelter house. I was one of the latter, as I was too pooped to do much rock and rolling. I'm getting lamer and lamer with each flip of the calendar.

Kudos to the Summer Celebration Committee members, Chamber of Commerce, firefighters and other volunteers who sacrifice their time each year to put on a great event. They put in a lot of work planning Summer Celebration, and our community is better off for it.

• I'm good at growing something

My plight with yard work has been well documented here in the past. This week, however, I can report something is growing "great" in my yard.

Crabgrass and thistles are once again coming in gangbusters. 'Tis the season as they say, and I've got a bumper crop on my hands.

I yanked the prickly devils on Tuesday in an attempt to stop them from going to seed. I wear leather gloves while completing the task to protect my hands, but I can really only use my right one. The left glove has holes in two fingers and is not conducive to pulling a plant that fights back.

My simpleton brain forgets that it's right hand only sometimes, leading to subsequent punishment. It's a miracle they admitted me into college, let alone gave me a degree.

My grass is now dormant but the crabgrass definitely is not. This has left me with a ridiculous conundrum, as I have no actual grass to mow and only weeds. I'm going to have to do it, too, and I'm furious about it.

I hate to say it, but after mowing my yard a thousand times already this year, I'm ready for winter.

Nick Pedley is the news editor and ad manager of The Hartley Sentinel-The Everly/Royal News.