And in the Summer, we would…

Chasing fireflies (or as we so eloquently called them, “light’ning bugs”) out in the backyard.

A popsicle, split in two and shared on the back patio, each half melting as quickly as we could devour it and leaving us with stained mouths and sticky hands.

Swinging so high on the old metal swing set in the back yard that the legs rocked up and down off the ground.

Playing outside along the block until our mom rang the cowbell on the porch for us to come in at dark. (Two moms on our block did this – and the cowbells had different timbers, so we knew who was being called in!)

Dancing across the lawn with lit sparklers, trying to write our name in sparks in the dark.

Laying under the old swamp cooler vent in the hallway and falling asleep, which left us feeling wonderfully chilled upon waking.

Running through the sprinkler or splashing in a blow-up wading pool in the backyard had to suffice most days. Going to the public pool was a big treat and didn’t happen that often, but we certainly did not feel deprived. (And then there was the time we tried to make the wading pool into a huge bubble bath with Mr. Bubble powder…that was only the one time!)

Going to the fruit & vegetable stand with our Grandad and getting a watermelon out of the tank of cold water. This involved lots of “thunking” on the chilled melons and debate to be sure we selected just the right one.

Sunbathing on collapsible webbed lounge chairs in the backyard, slathering on baby oil and rubbing cut lemons into our hair. (Yes, we really did this before “Sun In” spray was a thing!)

Walking two blocks over to the park and scorching our skin on the tall metal slide or catching crawdads from the creek on kite string tied with pieces of bacon. Once we dared to carry them home in a plastic bucket and Momma made us take them back and dump them into their muddy creek home.

Coloring, cutting up construction paper to make fans and lanterns, coloring, reading … and coloring some more, because we didn’t have cable TV for afternoon cartoons or iPads for music and games.

The gentle quiet of a summer morning, with only the twitter of birds as the sun rises in the East.

The first taste of a bowl of homemade ice cream, in all its delicious vanilla-ness.

The delicious coolness of central air conditioning when you step back inside the house after being outside for awhile.

The sound of sprinklers covering the lawn and cicadas humming in the tree branches.

Sitting on the front porch steps of our little yellow house as the sun goes down, the heat of the concrete still lingering against my feet and bottom the same it did all those years ago at another little yellow house just four blocks away.

The first rose to bloom on a newly planted bush, beautiful and fragrant.