The Lazy Days of Summer...

I remember how elated I was when school was out for the summer. Life took on a decidedly more languid pace...we got up later, played hard all day, took day trips and went to bed when we felt like it. There was a definite routine to summer, but it was nothing like the fall and winter months when our lives seemed governed constantly by the clock.

My sister and I often had only each other for company, and we thought up some of the most elaborate schemes to stay busy. We played restaurant, store, house (she was always the baby!), school (go figure --like we hadn't just been "liberated" from school) and lots of other games. We explored our neighborhood, walked to the corner store for candy and anxiously awaited the joyous sound of the ice cream truck's tinkling tune.

Summer was also the time that my mom introduced projects that would have seemed overwhelming during more structured times of the year, due to the amount of time it takes to complete them...embroidery, cross stitch, sewing.

Summertime meant a garden and all the attendant work, and then preserving the bounty. Dad would slice cucumbers paper thin (by hand) to make bread and butter pickles and mom let Kathy and me measure spices and pack jars while she made the syrup. During this time daddy always made sure to include a mini-lesson on industry (Go to the ant, thou sluggard...etc.) and mom took us outside to observe the ants scurrying busily to and fro gathering their food for the coming winter.

It was brutally hot in the high desert of southern Arizona, and so we always had a slip-n-slide or other means to get wet. We had our "swimming dresses" (no bathing suits because there were no fences between houses...only cacti and brush) and gleefully squirted each other with the hose, threw water balloons, doused each other from pails and pitchers and generally found ways to stay wet most of the day.

Mom made Popsicles out of Kool-ade...my favorite was lemonade! We feasted on summer food...hot dogs, baked beans, jello, salads, and as many fresh fruits and veggies as we could eat. Melons didn't grow well for us, and once daddy went to town and bought back 6 watermelons. This was an amazing bounty! We ate watermelon till we were sick, and then we helped mom make watermelon rind pickles. That was a lot of watermelon AND a lot of pickles for a family of 4. We ate lots and gave lots away.

In addition to starting a new church, my dad worked for a company insulating new homes and buildings. He worked as many hours as he could during the summer months to make up for the lean times that inevitably came with winter. He was brown from the sun and his blue eyes were tired, but he took us often to the park in the evenings to watch the local business teams play ball. We got 20 cent Dilly bars from Dairy Queen and watched ball, swung high on the swings in the dark and slapped mosquitoes till it was time to go home.

We lived 10 miles from town in a small community of homes that was just being constructed. The drive home was always quiet. Our bodies were tired from activity and our minds were occupied remembering the fun we'd had that day. I remember looking out the window at the summer sky, full of shining stars, and sighing with contentment. The summer was weeks long and we got to do it all again tomorrow!

We drove along in that big '69 Ford LTD toward a place that, at that time, I didn't truly appreciate. I thought everyone had the same blessings I had...a secure home, devoted parents who loved them, a life free from want or need, a knowledge of Jesus and peace.

Today our lives are much more busy...even during the lazy days of summer. Here are a few simple things to do that will make great summer memories for your family:

• Make Popsicles. Use fruit juice to avoid added sugar and artificial flavorings and colors. Wal-mart has molds and I have seen them at Target as well. This is an inexpensive treat. The hardest part is waiting for them to freeze!
• Have a water fight! Dads love this...be sure to give the kids lots of ammo: balloons, water pistols, splat balls, the hose...whatever is available!
• Read aloud in the evenings. This is a great time to have a read-aloud because bedtimes don't have to be as strictly enforced during the summertime.
• Find community events that will provide practically free fun. When I was young we went to the park to watch the local businessmen play ball. In our small town this was a big deal, well- attended and fun. Here in Elk Grove we have the farmer's market every Wednesday (4-8 PM at EG Park) and the Strauss festival (the end of July at EG Park.) More?? Let me know!
• Make homemade ice cream. I am going to blog about this soon, but it is easy and fun to make your own ice cream.
• Have backyard picnics and bbq's. With or without additional family and friends in attendance this is summer defined!
• Go on a nature walk. Take your family out for some exercise. Living where we do there are many great places to experience God's creation first-hand. Coloma, the Big Trees, Stinson Beach, Lake Tahoe, etc. There are lots of great parks and walking trails right here in Elk Grove too...save gas!
• Go for a bike ride. McDonald's has cones for $1.00. Ride over and get one!
• Have a picnic. It's funny how a sandwich just tastes different when you eat it outdoors!

This is by no means an exhaustive list of fun, inexpensive things to do with your family. Just a starting point...the main thing is have fun and make memories!