Summer Days

This year, the late days of August have really been making me nostalgic for the summers when I was a kid. I'm sure that having Madeline gives me the chance to relive some of that same happiness with her -- watching her enjoy some of the wonderful experiences of summer.

Some of the most vivid memories I have are of spending time at Grandma and Grandpa Anderson’s house. They were so good to us -- it seems like I had everything I could’ve wanted in those days. Mom would drive us into town, often with our bikes loaded in the car, too, so we could experience the fun of biking on pavement, a rarity on the farm. Kristie and I could cruise up and down the block, around the sidewalks and over to the church parking lot. We never ventured much further than that, though -- the cross streets were too busy with traffic for us to brave them.

If we were in the mood for a walk, we could go to Dumont Park or Poynter’s store for penny candy. With all the sidewalks, we could play gigantic games of hopscotch. The backyard at Grandpa and Grandma’s had a little patio slab with a swing to sit on. When renting movies was the newest rage, we would get movies and watch them in the cool air-conditioned house while lying on the soft caramel-colored carpeting.

Dinner always seemed to be tender, roasted-all-afternoon roast beef with potatoes and carrots. It was so good, but I’d make sure I saved plenty of room for the homemade ice cream Grandma had made for dessert.

On Saturday nights, Grandpa would go work at the races and bring home bags of Jasper’s caramel corn. Then he’d drag the extra mattress up the stairs from the basement and Grandma would make the bed for us with soft sheets that had a huge rainbow on them. We’d usually be too excited to fall asleep for a long time, so before drowsiness set in, it was fun to study the light slanting in from the streetlights outside -- so different from the complete and utter darkness at home on the farm.

Now that I’m grown up, I realize how much they did to make us happy and give us these wonderful memories. They surely had the same stressful grown-up worries everyone does, but I had no awareness of anything but the comfort and fun of a summer at Grandpa and Grandma’s.