Summer days

Yesterday, Rob and I found ourselves talking about what summer days would have been like when we were kids.

We were driving with the windows down, enjoying the cool part of the day and I started with;

We'd be finishing up in the pea patch. We'd have gone out soon after sunup and picked peas all morning and just when it started to get too hot, we'd take bushels of peas and load them into the back of Uncle Roy's white Chevrolet pickup and drive them down the hill and across the road and back them up in the shade of what I think was intended to be a carport, but was just a slab, between the back door and the well, that was open to breezes from all directions and covered and shaded and had the chest freezer in it.

We'd take the peas in and spread them out on sheets so they'd stay cool...can't let the peas go through a "heat" or they won't be any good. Sometimes, we'd sprinkle them with water to help keep them cool. And, then we'd shell peas all the rest of the day. I can remember what an honor it was to be old enough to help shell the peas. I can remember that the first few times that my thumbs were purple from shelling purple hull peas, I was a bit freaked out, but after that, it became a badge of honor.

After we had shelled enough to start the freezing process, Aunt Lucille and Mama would start to bring pots of water to a boil for blanching and large chunks of ice would be pulled out to chill water for the hot peas to be dropped in and then, they'd be bagged in freezer bags with enough water to make a brick (but not too much because "nobody needs a freezer full of water"...I wish I could remember who said that.) The bags would be stacked in the freezer and kept to be eaten for the rest of the year.



Rob's summer days included taking his cane pole and going fishing with a bunch of friends. They'd fish all morning with a sack lunch and then swim all afternoon in a cool water tank or pond. They rode their bikes all over town and down to the river. He tells quite mischievous stories about occassionally roaming town with a gang of his friends at night, when they were all supposed to be in bed.

Our childhood memories are so different. His more the mischievous Tom Sawyer and mine the country memories of Little House.

Okay, so we took yesterday off and got a ton of stuff done. This was my main chore and I spent all afternoon at it. I've never ironed this many shirts at one time. I hope never to iron this many shirts at one time again.



Everyone take care and have a great day. It's Saturday. The official second day of vacation. Except that vacation hasn't really started yet.

Lane