Summers were magical when I was a child. We'd play outside from sun-up 'til sun-down and most nights later. We rode horses everywhere, and did trick-riding on the "Big Lawn" (a big lot in our neighborhood that someone had planted grass on and kept mowed). I have a scar, that is still on my chest today, from dragging behind a horse like the man in the Tide commercial.
When we weren't riding, we would walk to the Draper Drug Store or Frank's Food Town and buy penny candy or a soda. On weekends we'd walk to the Cameo Theatre and see a movie for 50 cents. The theatre (which is still standing) was old and bats would get inside and occassionally we'd have to duck so they didn't fly into us. They didn't scare me nearly as much as the old lady who ran the theater though.
Sometimes we'd walk across the street to Fitzgerald's Farm and watch baby calves be born or let the week-old calves suck all the salt off our hands. We went fishing in Brown's Pond and would swim in the canals.
At nights we would stay out late playing kick-the-can. Sometimes we'd play murder in the dark. We hid alone in the cornfield. The murderer would come up and have to touch you to kill you. The cornfield was so scary you wanted to buddy up with someone--but what if they were the murderer! We also hunted for frogs and toads and would catch garbage cans full of them.
The last two days, my son has asked, "What can I do?" And the sad thing is, once I give all the pat answers--read a book, play a board game, watch t.v. (ughh, I don't say that one often), I really have no idea.
What did you do in the summertime? What do your kids do in the summertime when they are not at Scout Camp, Girl's Camp, EFY, etc.?
I brought my kids to my parents' house so their neighbors could teach them how to herd cattle and show calves at the fair. Which is awesome for me because otherwise I would be hauling them to the pool, the beach, or the lake back home. So glad someone has taken on the responsibility of teaching them how to work.
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