We are exactly six days from the start of public schools here in Weston (Lincoln starts September 6; what’s up with that?) and as you know, pre-season sports are in full gear at the high school. Yes, I know you don’t care if you don’t have kids in that school but this all leads up to the fact that yesterday I noted town workers yanking out the summer annuals at the corner of Conant and Townhouse roads. These poor summer annuals had tried so hard for so long this rainless-until-kids-on-soccer-fields summer, but they failed and just six days before September 1, the Owl is on full alert for Mum by-law issues.

As noted last year, there is an obscure by-law* that prohibits the planting or display of chrysanthemums until September 1. The full review of holiday by-laws is here but let me pull out the relevant bit about mums:

“Sec. 4 Paragraph 3 states that no chrysanthemums of any color may be displayed before September 1. If you were one of those who thought “hey, I’ll shop early to avoid the rush on the maroon Wildcat mums”, you are allowed to purchase but not display them in August.“

Really, why are you in such a rush? I’m just finishing off my letter to Dunkin corporate reporting violations of the pumpkin spice rule since a visit to a Wrentham DD yesterday showed a big flashy sign with “Pumpkin is back” on it. Pumpkin is not back, people, until October 1, and should never ever be back in a coffee drink. Trust me when I say there is a part of the world that is horrified by such ideas of pumpkins in coffee.

Behave, Weston.

**Not actually a By-Law of Weston but a By-Law of the Weston Owl.