The end of a school year was always a bitter sweet time for me. I loved school! I also liked summer, but it brought about things I didn't like. Some of my most vivid memories of those beautifully warm days were of the garden and the dumb weeds that kept growing. Also, to this day I HATE iris because it seems to me that an iris garden is just an invitation for grass to grow. No matter how much we dug out, more just kept creeping in. We did a lot of raspberry picking - which wasn't too terrible. But, the strawberry picking and pea picking were the worst. The garden is not full of fond memories for me.
But, there were many good things about summer. Summer brought about late night neighborhood games. We played Sardines, Hide and Seek, Kick the Can, Annie-I-Over, kickball, baseball, and more relay races than can be counted. Kids got together from up and down the street to play. They even came from other parts of town. Summer also meant running through the sprinklers and grass stains from the Slip-n-Slide. Occasionally we went to the city pool or Heise pool. Summer meant lots of forts built under the trampoline and so many tuna fish sandwiches eaten there. We jumped on it and slept under it.
Summer also meant family reunions. I loved my Erikson family reunions. The cousins (2nd cousins) came from Arizona and stayed at our house. We made homemade ice cream. We ate sloppy joes and Grandma's orange rolls. We pretended to be asleep but giggled through the wee hours of the night. It meant riding horses, being pulled in the little wagon behind the pony, and three-wheelers at Grandpa's. It meant flooding the side yard and playing in the water. We did all the things our city cousins couldn't do.
Summer meant drives to Yellowstone National Park with my family. I remember rolling down the window and sitting on the edge of the door as we drove along. I remember bears coming right up to the car and getting so close to bison that you could feel their heat. We always stopped at a little grocery story in West to buy sandwich meat, mini loaves of Wonder bread, and Miracle Whip. When we got hungry, we stopped and made sandwiches. And when it was time to go home, we also stopped at Dairy Queen for ice cream cones on the way out of town.
Summer meant Girls Camp, which I LOVED because all my friends were there. It meant knot tying and fire starting. It meant hiking - the only time I ever walked through the forest in all my growing-up years. It meant roasted hotdogs and toasted marshmallows. Camp meant dutch oven cooking - which we didn't eat at home. And, it meant the great and dangerous slide down the mountainside where many an arm was broken - but not mine. Summer also meant 4H. We all took a Cooking Class and then we finished it up with a Sewing Class. We rode our bikes to our leaders' houses. It seemed like miles and we loved every single inch of it. Summer also meant the fair where ribbons were won - sometimes even deserved.
Summer meant the library reading program. I didn't like to read then, but I loved the prizes, the bags, and the smell of the libary. I read the Secret Garden every year. I also read for the first time, James and the Giant Peach - my all-time favorite childrens' book. I loved having a card of my own. I loved the freedom to check out any book I wanted. Summer meant reading those books in the trampoline fort with my sisters. Summer meant reading to my sisters.
Summer meant the 4th of July with its parade, rodeo, and fireworks. My Grandma wanted us to have the greatest fireworks so she bought many. We watched the parade at the Co-op with all the Erikson family - and cheered my grandpa as he rode by on his horse in the posse. Then we had a cookout at the Messick grandparents with all those cousins. Sometimes it seems we stayed until it was time for the rodeo, which we walked to because it was close to Grandma and Grandpa's. When it was all over, the fireworks began at the house. I believed it was the greatesst show on earth. We were sure spoiled.
Summer was great! Yes I missed my friends and teachers and structure of school, but summer meant a lot of joy and freedom and fun. I was always ready for it to end, however.
But, there were many good things about summer. Summer brought about late night neighborhood games. We played Sardines, Hide and Seek, Kick the Can, Annie-I-Over, kickball, baseball, and more relay races than can be counted. Kids got together from up and down the street to play. They even came from other parts of town. Summer also meant running through the sprinklers and grass stains from the Slip-n-Slide. Occasionally we went to the city pool or Heise pool. Summer meant lots of forts built under the trampoline and so many tuna fish sandwiches eaten there. We jumped on it and slept under it.
Summer also meant family reunions. I loved my Erikson family reunions. The cousins (2nd cousins) came from Arizona and stayed at our house. We made homemade ice cream. We ate sloppy joes and Grandma's orange rolls. We pretended to be asleep but giggled through the wee hours of the night. It meant riding horses, being pulled in the little wagon behind the pony, and three-wheelers at Grandpa's. It meant flooding the side yard and playing in the water. We did all the things our city cousins couldn't do.
Summer meant drives to Yellowstone National Park with my family. I remember rolling down the window and sitting on the edge of the door as we drove along. I remember bears coming right up to the car and getting so close to bison that you could feel their heat. We always stopped at a little grocery story in West to buy sandwich meat, mini loaves of Wonder bread, and Miracle Whip. When we got hungry, we stopped and made sandwiches. And when it was time to go home, we also stopped at Dairy Queen for ice cream cones on the way out of town.
Summer meant Girls Camp, which I LOVED because all my friends were there. It meant knot tying and fire starting. It meant hiking - the only time I ever walked through the forest in all my growing-up years. It meant roasted hotdogs and toasted marshmallows. Camp meant dutch oven cooking - which we didn't eat at home. And, it meant the great and dangerous slide down the mountainside where many an arm was broken - but not mine. Summer also meant 4H. We all took a Cooking Class and then we finished it up with a Sewing Class. We rode our bikes to our leaders' houses. It seemed like miles and we loved every single inch of it. Summer also meant the fair where ribbons were won - sometimes even deserved.
Summer meant the library reading program. I didn't like to read then, but I loved the prizes, the bags, and the smell of the libary. I read the Secret Garden every year. I also read for the first time, James and the Giant Peach - my all-time favorite childrens' book. I loved having a card of my own. I loved the freedom to check out any book I wanted. Summer meant reading those books in the trampoline fort with my sisters. Summer meant reading to my sisters.
Summer meant the 4th of July with its parade, rodeo, and fireworks. My Grandma wanted us to have the greatest fireworks so she bought many. We watched the parade at the Co-op with all the Erikson family - and cheered my grandpa as he rode by on his horse in the posse. Then we had a cookout at the Messick grandparents with all those cousins. Sometimes it seems we stayed until it was time for the rodeo, which we walked to because it was close to Grandma and Grandpa's. When it was all over, the fireworks began at the house. I believed it was the greatesst show on earth. We were sure spoiled.
Summer was great! Yes I missed my friends and teachers and structure of school, but summer meant a lot of joy and freedom and fun. I was always ready for it to end, however.
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