EDITORIAL: Oh, baby: Break out the barbecue

Take a good whiff.

That’s the scent of summer.

Never mind what the calendar says: That your special delivery won't arrive until June 20. Everyone — meaning everyone around here, anyway — knows that Memorial Day Weekend marks the start of the season that ends not on Sept. 22 but with Labor Day Weekend. 

With summer’s unofficial but unmistakable commencement, three items top the weekend agenda.

1. The reason for the three-day holiday is, of course, honoring our nation’s war dead. Those who made the ultimate sacrifice so the rest of us could remain free should be honored every day, not just Memorial Day. Please keep in mind that Memorial Day recognizes with heavy hearts and boundless appreciation the men and women who died in service to our country. Veterans Day — 11/11 — honors all who have served in the U.S. military.

2. On a much lighter note, legions of North Idahoans will head for the hills no matter what the weatherman says. Their mission, should they choose to accept it — and wholeheartedly, they do — is to launch their first camping quest of the season. Locals will squeeze every ounce of joy out of their retreat into the warm embrace of Mother Nature, leaving their phones off except for emergencies. 

3. This holiday weekend offers another reason to celebrate: surviving one of the most savage primary elections on record. It’s true that the great majority of local adults had nothing to do with the outcome — nearly seven of every 10 registered Kootenai County voters chose not to participate — which is both a lamentable historical footnote and an assurance that we will receive exactly the quality of governance we deserve. But for the thousands who did their part, raise a glass to your victories, linger not on your losses and pledge to stay informed and involved. Elections are beginnings, not ends. 

Yes, kind of like the first day of summer.