A Pollyanna Summer

Simplify. It can be difficult to embrace in today's world. We have been trying bit by bit over the past couple of years but we feel that it is such a worthwhile effort for the kids. The girls have their chickens at their Dad's house and sell the eggs. They know now with the price of food, just how nice it is to always have eggs on hand, and how much work it is to keep them.

With gas prices, we are also more mindful as many of you are. The pool and screen house have been wonderful and it is nice when we are all together. We continue to do things like board games under the candle light and roasting hot dogs and marshmallows in the fire pit. We are also awaiting the best of summer's bounty in the garden. In it all we have looked back the things that were Summer to us.

• Catching fireflies and putting them into an old Skippy jar that Dad patiently holes punched into.
• Wearing hats and dresses to Church and no matter what...white gloves.
• Visiting family on Sunday, starting with "the Sunday drive."
• Sunday dinners, with everyone sitting around talking. After dinner there would be coffee and dessert.
• Sitting on the porch and swinging our legs. If it rained, you would stick your legs out and get them wet. This way you could get "legally" wet and Mom wouldn't yell because our clothing was dried.
• Packing a sandwich and a thermos and spending the day riding bikes with friends or fishing at one of the quarry holes.
• Long nights of kick the can that started after everyone wolfed down dinner and ended with the first Mom that called one of us in.
• Eating watermelon until we burst and the stickiness of our cheeks afterwords.
• Going to the Village Carnival and enjoying the booths more than the rides.
• Helping to make lemonade by squeezing the lemons.
• Snapping green beans for dinner.
• Lazy afternoons lying on a pony's back as they grazed.
• The sound of frogs lulling us to sleep and the chirps of birds right before sunrise.
• Talking into the box fan so that are voices sounded different.
• Curling up on rainy days and getting lost in a book.

These are just a few, and the biggest joy is remembering them. So much has changed in our lives. Some things we can change, others we can't. Embrace what you can and keep family the priority. Never lose sight of the child within.