The Summers of "then"

In a few weeks summer will be officially here.  With the crazy weather most of the United States had this past winter I am certain that the long awaited days for warmth will be welcome. 

Summer is a season that always seems to flood my mind with memories.  I think, due to the fact that as kids we were (well most of us) excited to be out of school.  Now I don't have the privilege of asking my parents this but I cannot recall a summer day of my youth that I ever said "I'm bored"

Summers of the 60's has very few things in common with the "Summer of now"  The temperatures are probably close to the only constant.  Yes kids are still out of school for the summer.  Yes more people are likely to go on vacation in the summer.  However the days now look very different.

Most of us long for simpler, at one time or another.  Something as simple as freshly washed clothes blowing in the breezes as they hung from wooden clothespins on a line propped up by a post or tree branch. I can still see my mother attaching the clothes to one another.  A lost art.   Kids now are denied the rush one gets from smelling sheets that are scented with the great outdoors.  HOA would not allow something as unsightly as ones clothing rippling through the neighborhood.

Summer time meant more time to go to the five and dime store, like Woolworth.  Oh how I loved that store.  The smells wafting from the lunch counter. 

There would be no pizza delivered to our home but I remember when milk was.  A metal Milk box would sit outside of our door and when the milkman came he would leave what was ordered by leaving a note or a number inside the box.  I am not certain how those milk bottles lasted very long in a family with 9 children.

One of my favorite summer past time was walking down to the corner store.  We lived out in the country so it truly was a country store.  Elmer the store owner knew us all by name.  There were no credit or debit cards.  If we wanted or needed something we simply had it put on a tab until Friday when dad got paid and would stop and take care of it.  Penny candy truly was penny candy and sometimes more than 1 for a penny.  Candy would be in bins unwrapped and we would get small paper bags and choose what we wanted.  We would slowly walk home , stopping at times to play in the creek.

Countless hours were spent outside.  We always had something to do and if we didn't, we found something by using our imaginations.  When you lived in the Country there were many places to roam.  We had large hills, We made forts. found very large holes on the hills that became our bunkers.

We could all pile in the back of dad's pick up truck and ride in the open air down to the dairy to get ice cream cones and it was not illegal and no one considered it unsafe. 

We spent numerous summers camping and kept so busy we never thought we were missing a thing by not having internet. we explored, swam, played hard.  We sat by the campfires as a family and talked and sang while dad played the harmonica.   We made memories that are not wrapped up in video games.

I know that progress is good - no, I know it is great.  I just find it so sad that with progress there is loss.  I don't mean everyone has to camp.  I don't mean that children and families are not making great memories because we do.  Each generation has new and different exposures that will contribute to the making of their memories but those of us who lived our young lives during the simpler times, I can't help but believe most of us feel sorry for the generations that haven't.

I am still trying to figure out where all the lightening bugs went!  There were so many firefles when I was a child they could light our way to play out after dark, which by the way was safe!

I can't change the culture or the times for my family.  I can make certain that in years to come they will have memories that warm them.  Memories that they miss.  Memories that they will try to somehow recreate for their families.

Have a great memory making summer.  Count fireflies, run in the rain-(This is fun I have already introduced my grandbabies to it and their giggles were so worth it).