For some reason, weather like this kicks my memory banks
into overdrive. Smells, tastes, actions transport me back to my childhood, or
the time when my own kids were small. Looking around us, we can name thousands
of things that have changed since those fondly remembered times. But, it’s the
constants, the things that have remained remarkably the same that really “send
me”.
Watering the grass for some has become a no-brainer. They have
pipes and spouts under-ground that respond to a timer, taking the effort
completely out of this task. But at our house, we’re fortunate enough to still
be dragging hoses and squirting, whirling mechanical devices around the yard.
There’s a science (which I haven’t quite perfected) to placing them just so,
and moving them every so often, so as to keep the green carpet moist, while not
wasting too much water on the driveway and the street. Something about dodging
the spray reminds me of my old jump-roping days. Wait, wait, run before you get
splashed. Or, just slow down and get a refreshing surprise. Ha! The smell of
the moisture in the air, and the 10
degree drop in the surrounding temperature is universal. It feels and smells
just like the yard I grew up in, all those eons ago.
The shaved ice stands that seem to be popping up on every
corner are another old thing that has become new again. When I was a teenager
working in the baseball concession stand, the ice in the snow cones was
chunkier, and there were fewer flavors of sticky syrup, but oh how good they
tasted on a hot day. My own kids enjoyed the first shaved ice, and they have
happy memories of perching on a picnic table outside of a very small building
with their favorite icy treat. Ah, summertime.
Another edible time machine is a hot dog, but only if it’s
sold at a baseball game. When our kids were small, I would cook the franks at
home, put them in a bun and wrap them in an aluminum cocoon. If anyone at the
ball field objected to my smuggling them to the game in my gigantic tote bag, I
never heard about it. Today, the ones you purchase after standing in a long
line or from a barker in the stands taste pretty much the same, and you still
have to contend with mustard and relish that always seem to slide off, and
never enough napkins to shield your shorts and/or t-shirts.
Marketers of all sorts of things are savvy to our
generation. Muscle cars of today are clever copies of the Mustangs, Corvettes,
Challengers and VW bugs of the 60s and 70s. The new models include all the
latest safety features, and much better gas mileage. Baby Boomers are suckers
for the perfect vehicle to take us down memory lane. Michael J. Fox and his
DeLorean have nothing on us.
Twenty-first century houses and subdivisions also appeal to
those of us who remember the latter half of the 1900’s. Our fairly new house
has tall ceilings, crown molding, gleaming hardwood floors. The cul-de-sac with
its wide sidewalks provides a great place for kids and their bikes, scooters
and skateboards. Déjà vu all over again.
Folks whose hair is gradually turning silvery still love
new things and great adventures. But increasingly, we find comfort in the
familiar. Summertime provides lots of opportunities to close your eyes, feel
the cool breeze and get a whiff of your youth. We’ll be right there with you.
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