TheBanyanTree: From FB

[Monique Colver]

The sun shone down upon the land, and in the streets there was great
rejoicing, and a hastily planned parade, which is the best kind, because
there's no chance to think, "Oh, this is going to look stupid," before the
procession starts, so the dogs with party hats and the cats on leashes and
the high school float start their meandering through town, and the veterans
of other wars join in, some of them in uniform, some of them with only the
pajamas they woke up in. There was no chance to dress appropriately, but
since it was a last minute parade there was no need to.

The church bells rang, mysteriously starting up as if the force of the
parade had made it happen, but it was only Mr Swenson, pushing the right
buttons at the right time. He'd made a successful career out of pushing
buttons, and now that he was retired he jumped (not literally, he was too
old for those sorts of gymnastics) at any opportunity to push buttons again.

Miss Kravitz from the end of the street, from the ramshackle house that
looked as if even a reputable ghost would avoid it, came out on her front
porch, something she rarely did, and began waving the only banners she had,
her brightly colored bras, all different colors, as if Miss Kravitz were a
toucan and not a down on her luck former tax preparer. She waved
enthusiastically, she swung those bras so hard she lost her a grip a couple
of times, and red and purple underwear went flying into the street.

The parade goers didn't mind, not much anyway, because the sun was out, and
the marching band, which was a piccolo, two tubas, and a bass drum, was
making such a racket.

>From his office two streets over the mayor heard, and he rushed to see what
all the commotion was about, leaving behind two assistants who were so busy
discussing Mad Men that they'd missed the concept of the parade all
together. The mayor would never let them forget that faux pas, for he loved
to lead off all the parades, walking in front like a drum major, except for
his lack of discernible skills. He raced to the front of the parade, though
in his condition it was more like a quick shuffle. But the parade was short
and he reached the front quickly.

By the time the sudden parade reached the end of downtown there were more
participants than watchers, for everyone wanted to join in, even the
chickens kept by the Hansons, and the ducks that were always looking for
water.

It was the first day of summer, the best day.