Saturday 9: Summer in the City

Saturday 9: Summer in the City (1966)

Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

1) Now that Labor Day has passed and kids have returned to school, summer is unofficially over. Looking back, share a highlight from Summer 2024.

A. The highlight of our summer has been drought and heat. We have mostly worried about hay, about feeding the cows, about ensuring they have water and shade. Up until the end of August, it was too hot to have a good time outside. The temperatures are more pleasant now, thankfully, but the drought has done its dirty work. 

2) Though this week's song is about summer, it was recorded in the spring, March to be exact. What's your favorite season?

A. I prefer spring or fall. Cooler temperatures and colorful. Summer would be great except for the heat.

3) Lovin' Spoonful lead singer John Sebastian sings that he's going to meet his lover on the rooftop. When were you last on the roof of your building?

A. Never. I have never been on the roof of my house. I don't remember the last time I was on the roof of any building, actually.

4) The lyrics refer to sidewalks that are "hotter than a match head." What's the last thing you lit with a match?

A. I don't light candles often, but I have some unscented ones that I use sometimes when a skunk gets too close to the house. The smoke helps alleviate the skunk stink.

5) The Lovin' Spoonful was founded by John B. Sebastian and Zal Yanovsky. When the band broke up, Zal opened a restaurant. Tell us about the restaurant you most recently dined at.

A. The most recent restaurant I was in was the Townhouse Tap House in Daleville. They have an excellent salad bar. They have their own garden and grow their own greens. I've never had a fresher salad than the one I get there.

6) John went on to have a solo career. His biggest hit was "Welcome Back," the theme to a popular 70's sitcom. The first line: "Welcome back, your dreams were your ticket out . . .". Do you recall what show used "Welcome Back" as its theme?

A. Welcome Back, Kotter. It had John Travolta in it. I did not watch it much.

7) In 1964, when "Summer in the City" was popular, Americans were tuned in to Bewitched. The show centered around Samantha, a witch married to a mortal. Among her supernatural powers were flight, time travel and telekinesis (being able to move objects by twitching her nose). If you could have one of those powers, which would you choose?

A. Telekinesis would be fun. I could move the furniture without help! And then make the vacuum run and get rid of the dust bunnies under it. Or just make the dust roll out from under the furniture. Either way it would be clean.

8) In 1964, AJ Foyt earned the second of his four Indy 500 victories. Do you watch car racing?

A. I do not watch auto racing, but my husband is a big fan of both NASCAR and the Indy series (which is called something else, but I know not what). He watches all kinds of racing, including funny cars and other different kinds. Since I live here and the house is small, I see the racing if I decide to sit in the living room with him and a book.

9) Random question: Is your big toe your longest toe?

A. I wonder if everyone else had to look like I did. My big toe and my second toe are about even, but I used the level on my phone, and it shows my big toe is a smidgeon higher.

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I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.