Country view: Summer fun
It's now the perfect season to get outdoors and live it up! Here are some entertaining stories of your summer fun.
Summers by the lake
Each summer just before school begins, our son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren invite us to join them on their vacation to the North Woods. My husband and I so appreciate the opportunity to be with them. The children grow each year and add new fun things to do. We fish, canoe, kayak, swim, and just wallow in the country air. The happy songs of loons and so many varieties of birds awaken us every morning.
The days begin with oatmeal and wild berries picked by the grandchildren. Breakfast is always a sharing time of the previous day's fun. With no television, radio, or newspaper, we discover some important realizations: Daily, we miss quiet, thinking, reading, and connecting with each other.
Even on rainy days we find painting, drawing, and lingering with books so pleasant. The smell of fresh rain in the pine forest is a memory that lasts for a very long time.
The names G'ma (that is what my grandkids call me) and Papa bring joy to the ears, even if poor hearing doesn't allow. The wonderful days that we spend together are remembered all year long, and the pictures taken are often shared.
Luanne Gringon, Waukesha, Wisconsin
The pontoon
My husband, Tom, and I have a 12-person-capacity pontoon boat, the fulfillment of a long-deferred dream come true. We spend most summer days and some evenings (before the bats begin to take to the air) on our boat, always in the company of at least a few of our friends and family. Tom is the boat's skipper and I'm the cruise hostess. I enjoy making gourmet meals to share with our guests while we cruise lazily along Goodyear Lake, taking in the majestic sight of the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York. It's a time of fine food, fabulous fellowship, and charming countryside.
While we don't bob along on the tube, many of our children, grandchildren, and friends' youngsters do! Nothing else quite quenches the heat of the summer sun like a good drenching. With life vests donned, the kids climb aboard the rubber float, with me as the watchwoman and Tom as the thrillgiver. Wide-eyed grins tell us everyone loves the splish and splash.
Lynn Benicken, East Meredith, New York
King and Prince
For four years we have owned a team of horses, and summer is now a whole lot more fun. One of our favorite activities is a slow, steady ride in a covered wagon pulled around the neighborhood by our team. This is even more fun when we load our covered wagon full of friends and family. Adults quickly get to laughing and the children unplug from today's electronics.
What can top a wagon full of folks in a slow, carefree drive? Well, put that formula in a summer parade. We have participated in several local parades with our Percheron-paint cross team, King and Prince, and it never gets old.
Part of what makes the parades so much fun is that the horses love being there. For us, showing off our polished and happy team is a tremendous thrill. To have family loaded in that wagon, waving, enjoying the moment -- words can't describe how much fun that is. And when the parade is done, King wants to turn around, get lined up, and do it all over again. We all share his feelings.
Maxine Meyer, Finlayson, Minnesota
Summer gardening
Our summer fun consists of gardening. We have three boys, ages 12, 11, and 1. Last year we had bumper crops of vegetables and fruits. As we picked the fruit, we weren't sure where the fun quit and the work began. I harvested peaches while our 1-year-old ate them, with juice running off his elbows.
From about 30 raspberry plants, we harvested 80 quarts of raspberries, enough to share with the neighbors. We planted 50 pounds of potatoes, which yielded about 600 pounds total.
It sounds like lots of work, but working with the family turns out to be fun. We had an inflatable pool set up and the boys would swim a while, then run to the blueberry patch, eat a handful of blueberries, grab some raspberries, and run back to the pool.
Susan Yoder, Millersburg, Ohio
Canoe ride
This photo shows Kevin Kimball (grandpa), Glenn Ayer (son-in-law), Chloe (granddaughter), and Cohen (grandson) all going for a ride in the canoe on Salem Lake in Derby, Vermont.
Pati Kimball, Ludlow, Vermont
Extended family
When my son started grade school he became friends with a group of boys that came to our home after school and spend time playing, eating cookies, and going to local activities together. They called me mom and I came to love these boys like additional sons.
When they went to college, I cried. They are in their 30s now and a couple have their own families, but they remain good friends. But getting together all at once is more difficult now and so every summer we have a grill out at my house to celebrate my son's birthday. We all get together either physically or by phone on that day.
I look forward to seeing my "other" sons and their families, talking to them and getting to be their extended mom once again, if only for a little while.
Linda Strogen, Bridgeport, West Virginia
They had another idea
Last summer my husband and father completed a water collection system. They attached PVC pipe to the bottom of the house gutters and ran the pipe under ground to a collection tank. The tank water is used to water the poultry and the garden.
It is amazing how much water is collected in that tank, even in a light rain. The tank has an overflow drain at the top. PVC pipe was attached to the drain. The pipe then runs a little way to a large trough. The water in the trough is for the goats. Two of my children, however, had a different idea for this trough.
With no swimming pool, and the creek three quarters of a mile off, they decided the water trough was the perfect place to cool off on a hot day. Don't worry, they did unplug the electric fence before taking a dip.
Stephanie Appleton, Ona, West Virginia
Ice cream with Pop
Our summers are bursting with activities. With three busy teenaged children, who all have summer jobs and friends and trips to take, it's a wonder how we ever get to relax at all. But we do. We manage to juggle all of our schedules each summer and take a two or three week trip to somewhere different in the United States. We've been to Yellowstone National Park, Mount Rushmore, Craters of The Moon National Monument, The Astoria Column, and The Lewis and Clark Caverns. We've snorkeled in the Atlantic Ocean and surfed in the Pacific Ocean. We have pictures of mountains and valleys and lakes and oceans and volcanoes and lava beds. We have film of the famous Old Faithful and Painted Mud Pots in Yellowstone. But among all these exciting adventures we go on and spectacular pictures we take, the picture below is by far our favorite summer fun thing to do. Eating ice cream with Pop-Pop.
Even though we have been to many groovy places with Pop-Pop, including Disney Land and the beautiful Mission San Juan Capistrano to see the swallows return, eating ice cream at our local 'mom and pop ice cream stand' is the champion of all activities. The milk for the ice cream comes from the cows on the farm next to the stand and there are goats to feed, too. It doesn't matter what flavor you get, they are all creamy and cold and delicious. The greatest part, of course, is being with Pop-Pop. Always with a joke to tell and a hug to share. This late summer day we all laughed so hard that Pop-Pop's teeth fell out. We'll never forget it nor will we ever forget him. 2008 was to be his last summer. Thanks Pop-Pop for the supreme summer fun memory.
Maria Liloia, Washington, NJ
Summer memories
I remember how the heat monkeys would dance on the pavement in the parking lots of the big chain grocery stores in Mobile, Alabama, on those hot, steamy, summer days. There would be a pile of us 'young uns' waiting in the back of one of my grandpa's pickup trucks. The ones he used for his roofing business had seen a lot of wear and tear. There was nothing left for a bunch of rowdy kids to do much damage to. We would laugh and joke in anticipation of that cool river water waiting for us. The grown-ups would go into the store with a long list of picnic needs and come out with bags and bags of groceries for a day on the riverside or down at the Mobile Bay. There would be several large melons already in the back of the truck, along with the ice-cream maker, lawn chairs, and beach blankets.
My mother is the oldest daughter of thirteen children. When a few of her siblings and their children got together, there was a mini family reunion. The amazing thing was how all the cousins got along so well with one another. Then again, maybe it had something to do with the large leather belt that my grandpa carried, but never used. My grandmother had only to raise her voice slightly to bring an unruly child to order. I remember most how the entire family did summer activities together. I am talking about those long summer days spent splashing into the river from a rope swing, letting watermelon juice run down my chin, and eating ice cream just churned by all the grown-ups taking turns. My grandparents, great-grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins, my parents, and my siblings would spend an entire day or two camped out along the riverbank or squeezed into the summerhouse at Gulf Shores. We did not watch television. We had not video games, no cell phones, no computers, or any other electronic gadget with which to entertain ourselves.
What my cousins, brothers, sister, and I used to entertain ourselves with was our wonderful imaginations. We built grass huts, made tree forts, or climbed Chinaberry trees for those infamous Chinaberry Wars. We held a fishing pole or lowered crab nets for hours at a time. We sat around a late night campfire and discussed the things that kids discussed, such as favorite teachers, who was cool and who was dating who.
As an extended family, we spent weeks during the summer at Dauphin Island where the kids hung out on the porches that surrounded the beach house. We had a sense of security given to us by loving adults who passed along a strong set of values and morals that came from their parents and grandparents. As children, we enjoyed an innocence afforded us by loving adults who knew how much of life's inter-workings to reveal and what things would only cause and us needless worry. We were country people. We enjoyed a country way of life. My family recognized the need to get away from the everyday and play together as a way to stay connected.
All the cousins and younger aunts and uncles are all married with grandchildren of our own. We are still country people with country values that we continue to share with each new generation. We still see the value of going to the beach together as an extended family. The places we visit during the summer may have changed a little, but the play is still the same. We still hang a pole in the water, dip a few crab nets, build sand castles, and chase each other through the hot sand. We still pack a picnic lunch, throw a watermelon into the edge of the cool waters, and set up the ice-cream maker for some homemade strawberry ice cream.
Bar-B-Que ribs, potato salad, homemade pickles, burgers on the grill, gallons of sweet tea poured over quickly melting ice, fresh fruit, and family, these are the memories I hold dear. These are the memories I am passing on to those I love so they will have something to pass along when I become a summer memory.
Barbara Stanley, Blairsville, Georgia
Summer by the pond
Shortly after moving into our home on five acres, my wife and I decided that the former farmland was just too flat around the house. To improve the appearance, we decided to add some character by adding berms and elevation changes in a few areas. The common method in the neighborhood to obtain additional soil was to dig a pond. After a week of bulldozer's and earthmovers running around the property, we had a big hole in the ground. Toss in a fall, winter, and spring of rain and snow and we were the proud owners of a half-acre pond.
Now we just needed a few supplies. We had a couple of kids running around the house already. A trip to the local feed store when the "fish truck" was in town added blue gill for fishing. The marine supply store supplied an inflatable rowboat. Add a water-loving breed of dog (golden retriever in our case) and the kids will stay busy. A lawn chair, some tree shade, and a radio-controlled sailboat from the local hobby shop is all it takes to keep Dad occupied. Mix all this together in the pond and you have summer fun at our house!
K. Gustafson, South Rockwood, Michigan
10 ways to keep your kids busy during summer
1. Rollerblading or bicycling in the country can be difficult or even impossible on gravel roads. Load up the skates or bikes, drive to a nearby town or park, and enjoy some riding time on pavement and without gravel in their knees!
2. Try a new craft project. Buy some inexpensive beads and elastic string or beading wire. Create some fun summer jewelry- necklaces, bracelets, and anklets. Or try decorating old items with beads and create new knick-knacks or artwork. Use old horseshoes, tools, or farm machinery parts or decorate wind chimes and yard ornaments.
3. Take a nature walk. Get permission from a neighbor to walk on their farm field roads or through the woods. Scout out different trees, plants, birds, and wildlife. Remember to take your water bottle, mosquito spray, and cell phone.
4. Invite a couple of your kids' friends over and turn household or farmstead chores into fun. Raking the yard, picking up stones, pulling weeds, and other chores are more fun when done as a group. Throw in some popsicles and a water sprinkler and now it's a party!
5. Ask your friends and neighbors if they need help with yard or farm projects. Older kids will gladly work for someone else rather than their own parents!
6. Reconnect with relatives. Kids will enjoy spending time with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins during extended stays. Send your kids away and then reciprocate the favor by inviting family members to your house.
7. Check out and enroll in inexpensive day camps sponsored by schools, athletic clubs, YMCA's, and other community organizations.
8. Set up a daily schedule or summer routine and fill it with time for reading, outdoor play, chores, fun, hobbies, and family time.
9. Get creative with cooking and explore local farmers' markets with your kids. Try new recipes, fruits and vegetables, and fun ways to cook on the grill and prepare food.
10. Plan day trips. Choose locations and destinations for the whole family to enjoy within one day's drive. Chances are there are destinations in your own 'back yard' that you've never explored.
Amber Bennett, Janesville, Wisconsin
Picking berries
The kickoff of summer isn't official until berry picking gets underway. Everyone has his or her favorite berry to pick and mine is both the strawberry and the blueberry. Years ago and in several different climates I use to try growing an array of berries, but various culprits stymied me in my endeavors for I never seemed to be able to keep my plants healthy and thriving. Nevertheless, I still became religious in my endeavor in keeping an eagle eye out for local farms offering "pick-your-own" produce directly from the fields during the height of that particular growing season.
Strawberries and blueberries are what my spouse takes me out to pick each year, come rain or shine, no matter where we live nor however far we must journey. For us city folks, sometimes the most challenging part of the picking is finding the fields we're journeying to...so often the directions involve turning at a bizarrely shaped tree or a piece of farm equipment from 1940 that is positioned near a corner of a field that's rusty and contorted (plus we're city folks who aren't quite sure of the difference in appearance between an old combine and a cotton picker machine).
My dear spouse is my faithful driver wherever we go and will journey forth however far is necessary in order for me to pick berries to my heart's content while patiently awaiting me to finish once I'm in the fields while I'm in hog heaven filling up 8-10 empty flats with berries. As each flat becomes full, I delicately carry the flat to my honey for him to cart back to the SUV on the side of the field, repeating after each flat is filled to capacity. While I pick berries, Phil peacefully entertains himself between browsing through a current magazine and observing the nearby scenery, while lounging in a folding chair propped upon the sidelines, never rushing me or complaining at all like so many spouses do as the clock slowly ticks by.
May and June are usually our "picking months" and we're always delighted to be able to nibble upon our frozen berries for an entire year when the cycle begins once again. Hand picked berries are the foundation of poetry for our stomachs as the berries' freshness straight out of the fields to our table inspire a vast array of delectable tastes and smells drifting throughout our home while tickling our palettes with all sorts of flavors.
Joanne Clayton, Herrin, Illinois
Fun in the sun
All through the long winter I look forward the most to my favorite summertime activity -- floating on the lake. It took me almost 10 years to learn how much fun that can be. Having lived in the city all my life, I had no idea that a lake was good for anything except fishing and boating. I never dreamed of getting into the water of our one-acre lake, not with all those fish and turtles.
It wasn't until last summer, when I married a local man who had lived in the country all his life, that I was talked into actually getting into the lake. That was just the beginning. Since I wasn't attacked by any fish or turtles I then tried floating on an inflatable raft. In no time I was searching the Internet for a floating recliner like the ones they use in fancy swimming pools. We got two of them.
The first improvement we made to the recliners was to attach inflatable pillows for our heads. Then we realized if we wanted to move around we needed some kind of paddle. First, my husband tried using a big spatula from the barbeque pit but it was pretty hard to maneuver. Then he cut two miniature oars from wood for each recliner and we attached them with heavy cords. Our floating recliners are real originals now. At least I've never seen anything like them.
Nothing can cool you down quicker on a hot day than jumping into a canoe/recliner and setting out across the lake.
Bonnie Steele
Life in the fast lane
Morning peeps through the mini-blinds over the bed, reminding the sleeper that another frenetic July day has arrived in Sandy Pond. You climb out of bed, don your robe and flip-flops, fix a cup of coffee and half bagel and resume a similar horizontal task on the hammock outside. It's suspended between two ancient hemlocks. When you look overhead to their woodsy canopy, you also hear the sounds of birds in the nearby marsh that had come to life hours before.
An industrious plan for later in the morning might consist of a trip into town, perhaps to purchase a piece of lumber, fill up the water containers at the town pump, or to buy a couple of bags of ice for a later- in- the- day event. You might, if so inspired, purchase a local newspaper to get a cursory appraisal of local current events. One really doesn't have the concentration to read the news in depth or actually remember anything (except perhaps the daily weather forecast), but the gesture is well intended.
Lunch inevitably rolls in and is quickly dispensed with so the clan can get aboard the boat for an afternoon of sunning and swimming. We pack up: beer, water, ice, towels and sunblock. Our oldest son begins barking out commands: A craft can only have one captain, the rest of us are mates: Untying the ropes, counting life vests, pushing the boat from the dock. The dogs watch as we depart, too fearful to join us and eventually return to their spots under the hemlocks, dreaming of the rabbits that'll surface there at dusk.
"Captain" navigates the craft carefully through the various depths in the channel. He's a master of this watery terrain and knows it like the back of his hand. We're observed by a single blue heroin (almost undistinguishable in the reeds), by turtles basking on a rock, or mallard ducks swimming in formation with their new families. Then we reach the mouth of the pond, open the throttle and glide across the sapphire liquid of mile-wide water. We take a couple of spins around, carefully avoiding other boats, water skiers and waves made by other boaters, and then drop anchor in the middle away from the rest of the traffic. We crank up the radio, pop open a can, dive off the bow or just bask until our skin is a rosy red...we'll pay for that later in the day. But for now it feels good.
The hours fly by, and although we try to delay it, we eventually force ourselves to pull up anchor and head back to camp. We find the dogs haven't moved since we left them, but they get up to greet us, expecting that its dinner time. Once the boat gets secured the women head quickly toward the house to ready supper or grab the tiny shower stall before everyone else gets there. The male executives remain down at the dock, bickering over how to tie nautical knots or which way to fasten the boat tarp, clockwise or counter.
The sun starts setting over Lake Ontario around 7:30, and when it does, it casts a glorious reddish haze that is legendary. A bon fire might be started, radio's cranked again. Some (avoiding mosquitoes) stay with the camp and watch the local news or just talk.
When the red-eyed sun finally retires from view it's a sign for all human form to consider doing the same, resting up for another tension-fraught, worked compulsed summertime day on Sandy Pond.
Linda Malmendier
Go outside!
This is it, the height of the season summer with a capital "S". And hopefully like my family, you're right there in the middle of it with your shoes off and your feet up and looking two shades darker than last week.
The Old Farmer's Almanac says summer starts on June 21, but somehow for me, summer never truly arrives until the Fourth of July. That's when I start to move a little more slowly, I ride my bike, try to catch up on some of my reading and begin to spend more time outdoors with my family, feeling free to kick back a little and have some fun.
But if, for some workaholic reason, you have not yet released your feet from those heals and had a taste of a burger grilled outdoors, please do so. There's nothing like a juicy burger, a cold lemonade and ignored messages to restore your sanity. But hurry before all the shady spots on the lawn are taken. Now, run through the sprinkler, you can always make it look like an accident. Blow on the dandelions and make them feel needed. Plant zinnias, you don't need to have a reason. Sleep outside at least one night. Choose a chaise lounge or hammock, or sleep in a tent.
On July fourth we, like so many of our neighbors around the country, celebrate America's birthday by watching the local parade, eating big sun-warm juicy slices of our own tomato on a lettuce and bacon sandwich with extra napkins, chocolate cake. Later on top of a grassy mound waiting for the fireworks, we eat lots of ice cream while wearing our baseball caps.
In the essence of summer living we check out local vacation spots at the beach and rent a small cottage. The summer fun continues when we make a fire on the beach and roast hot dogs and marshmallows on a stick.
Our summer fun is always the visit to the local roadside stands and farmers' market, local flea market and antique and thrift shops to see how our family can find treasures to decorate our summer porch. We then come back home and cool off on the porch sipping homemade lemonade and eating sugar cookies from the farmers' market.
Summer wouldn't be summer without the traditional visit to our local county fair to eat fresh homemade pie, family reunions, and casual get-togethers with family and friends. The longer days allow us to enjoy the garden and the opportunities to simply relax and enjoy the summer.
These are simple pleasures and I always looked forward to enjoying with my parents and family in the years I was growing up, and now I carry them forward in my own family. Have fun this summer. Remember, fall comes way too soon, so with your big purple and green bird kite going higher and higher, running up and down the slope to help gain altitude, you let go of the kite, then sit back with your bare feet, packed summer lunch and watch your kite as it becomes a tiny speck in the pale-blue sky. Happy Summer Fun!
Sandy Erdman, Winona, MN
Summer under the stars
We were looking for an inexpensive way to socialize with folks on the neighboring farms when my sister came up with a great idea. We rented a projector to connect to our DVD player, hung a sheet up on the side of the barn and invited the families to a "Summer Under the Stars" party where we screened a children's movie and then two old favorites from our collection of videos. Our first choices were Racing Stripes, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Bull Durham.
We supplied popcorn and homemade lemonade, everyone brought a covered dish, and chairs or blankets and we all had a wonderful night without a tremendous expense. Our friends are looking forward to our next movie night and are casting votes for the new videos. We hope "Summer Under the Stars" will become an annual mid-summer tradition.
T. Ellen Davis, Starke, Florida
Summer's here again!
Oh my! How quickly spring transpires into summer! Everything in this world seems to be happening faster. The summers of long ago seemed so length -- has it changed, have I changed, or has the world changed? I think it's me! My mind, with agreement from a lot of my friends, has been slowly conditioned to speed with everything! I resisted the evolution of a changing world, but somehow, here I am! Right smack dab in the middle of it! Why do I (we) feel the need to jam pack every minute, every hour with the most needless of activities? If we take a slow paced second to stop and think about it, sitting on a porch swing and pondering simple thoughts could be one of the most important activities we could actually do. Pondering simple thoughts on a porch are food and nourishment for the soul! We are so overly programmed to force our craniums into solving problems. Trying to do "things" as complicated as trying to coerce the world's economy, or to save the planet from global warming. Not that those are bad things to try to fix, but we simply can't focus on that kind of thing ALL the time! No wonder we feel out of sorts. We have our minds using every nerve and neuron to sort things out that cannot be sorted out by one person.
Why can we not get back to simpler ways? To sitting in a rocking chair for no other reason than to have a look at the world. Not to fix it, but to embrace it! Hasn't our meddling with all of the best God-made aspects caused us to be in the binds and predicaments we are in? Why can we not be and let be? Look at how the earth has so many small miracles going inside the rim of a bigger focus. Do the ants always strive to update and achieve anything they haven't in the past? I think not! In the ant world it is as it always has been, a world created for them, not so much by them!
Don't we forget who is really in charge of the universe? In these sore economic times, we need to especially get back to a more simpler, slower, more meaningful way of life! I don't mean giving up on learning and embellishing what we know, but to take what we know to a richer state of being. A state that involves all of the senses. I mean the heart things, all of the things we were created to do! In this world, the name of the game is survival. But survival doesn't always mean taking care of the external! It means nourishing our souls, our spirits, the best part of us! So, this summer, I plan to do just that. To really get a deep breath of air, to feel the sun's warmth on my skin. To celebrate life with my heart! Not with the "frantic frenzy" for things out of reach.
Summer is a time to grow -- to be made full. It is the season with the richest, ripest of pleasures. The lushness of the grass and the weeds alike. The deepest colors that harmonize with every portion of nature. It is the embodiment of smells and the arousal of our every sense! Summer is the accumulation of all of the other seasons. Let us all be awakened to nature and to ourselves! Maybe, just maybe, then we will have the return of old forgotten pleasures. The ones we forgot, not the ones that forgot us! Isn't this the reason summer was created?
Kathy Burris Sikes, Galax, Virginia