It seems that summer has hit us full blast over the past few days. I always begin counting the time until late in September when things will cool off a bit. But I also realize this is NOT living in the present. Humor me if you will as I recall bygone days when I was younger, times were simpler and summer was something we looked forward to!
San Jacinto Monument, Baytown, Texas
I grew up on the Gulf Coast of Texas. We lived in a suburb of Houston called Baytown. Home of the once Humble Oil Company and now Exxon, our home was not so far from the plants that we could not hear the whistle when shifts changed or smell the smoke let out by giant smokestacks that reached into the sky. I now wonder what that sort of pollution did to our respiratory systems.
But I digress. When school let out every May my brother and I shouted YIPPEEE, threw off our shoes and practically lived outdoors with other kids in the neighborhood. From sun up to sun down we frolicked in the sprinkler……
Burnet Bay
Swam in Burnett Bay……
Or a real treat, visiting a friend’s farm and swimming in the irrigation water tank…..what fun!
Google Images
Leap frog, cowboy and Indians, World War II and all of the other make believe games….we playedthem all! Being the youngest I always got to be whoever was “killed” in the day’s play. Nazi…bam! Indian….bam! You name it, I became a master at grabbing my chest and falling to the ground. I looked to forward to playing “Tarzan” because I got to be cheetah. Are you getting the impression that I was trained to be the underdog? I say that in humor, but some might think it so!
I think of these times as summer gets underway. I think of how children stay indoors more than outside about summer camps and art classes. We were taught to let nature be our guide which we fully embraced, calloused feet, baggy cut off blue jeans, ala Scout in “To Kill A Mockingbird” and all. No wonder I have always identified so clearly with that character in one of my favorite books.
It’s a hot week coming up! Stay cool….plan meals that require no cooking indoors and enjoy! Have a fancy rum drink and savor the warmth of the sun. It’s summer everyone!
