Friday, July 11, 2008

Summertime Memories...

Today my two Siamese kittens went outside to play on the patio, so I went out with them for a few moments just to see how they were getting along. They have just started going out alone and I just want to make sure they know how to get back in, ya know? After all, I have allowed myself to become the Keeper of the Cats, the Filler of the Food Bowl, the Human Pet of these two Kittens from the Dark Regions.

Anyway, while I was outside, I noticed something that seemed strange...something foreign for this season. Something you wouldn't expect in this lull in the school year. What I noticed was silence. Most of all, the silence of children playing outside. No hollering, no ball games in the streets or yards, no endless games of chase or hide-and-go-seek, no small little groups of kids just walking down the sidewalk heading off to where ever it is that kids go when strolling down the sidewalk in their own neighborhood. There were no sounds of young boys and girls sitting out in the yards under the shade trees, talking loud like young people often do when they are engaging members of the opposite sex in awkward conversation.

Remembering back to when my sisters and I were kids, summertime meant playing outside with the other kids in the neighborhood, playing chase, playing ball, riding bikes, climbing trees, throwing china berries at one another, walking to the park, sitting in the shade talking and solving the problems of the world as we knew it, chasing fireflies in the evening, and sitting on the porch after dark talking some more.

There weren't even kids running out to meet the ice cream truck. Come to think of it, I don't even remember seeing or hearing an ice cream truck. Not enough business, I guess. I sort of miss the old time ice cream trucks coming through the neighborhood , playing the same old music over and over again. When I remember it now, it was a kind of soothing , solid sound like a signal that all was right with the world.

It's a shame, really, but I guess that those days are gone. No more simple summertime pleasures like watching for shooting stars at night, no more sleeping with the window open so the attic fan would pull in a breeze, no more looking forward to visiting the cousins in the country, or swimming in the river, or going to the drug store for a banana split. Seems like all the simple pleasures are gone and the children of today will never have fond memories like those. That to me is sad, really sad!

But...like so many other things in this world today, I can't do anything about it. So I will just take a fresh cup of coffee, go out to the patio, enjoy watching the kitties play tag and listen to the sad, sad sound of summer silence. Want to join me?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

How does the old song go? Ah yes, I remember it well.....

It does seem that what we remember as good times are all gone - probably into the dark, nether regions of the tv and/or computer room. Now, I enjoy tv and bless the computer (especially your blogs, Bubba), but I'm amazed at the things kids today don't know how to do, never heard of doing. When my grandaughter Hannah comes, seems she has to be entertained every minute! What happened to "pretend" and just sitting doing "nuthin" for a while? Gone the way of walking to the library and paper dolls and popping tar bubbles in the street? Guess each generation has their own good ole days, and I'm sure glad we had ours!

Wow - you got me started! Better go get some honest work done now - Love you lots!

Anonymous said...

Come go to the reunions with us and let's rekindle some of our "good ole days" the best we can in this day and age.
Do y'all know that Tara Beth asked me one day what mud pies were!!? Honestly!

js said...

Well, we COULD try reincarnation.

js

HermitJim said...

Hey Sis...I had forgotten about the tar bubbles! Guess we were luckier than a lot of kids today, if only in the fact that we knew about making do with what we had. It's funny, but when you don't know that you don't have a lot, you are a lot happier with what you have. I guess that in some cases, ignorance is indeed bliss!

Love ya back, Sis

I'll have to ask Tara Beth (my neice) if since she has learned what mud pies are, will she help her two girls make some and watch them bake in the sun! Digging in the dirt was one of those activities than we did quitye often, and seems lost with the generation today. How do you lose "mud pies" in one generation? Scary!!

Thanks for dropping by!

Jim

blondie said...

A lot of those things are gone for sure. And yes, imagination seems to be one of them.

But Jim, the Ice Cream truck still does come down my street. Believe it or not. Haven't bought one in a long time but I DO remember how expensive they were. Like 3 bucks for a cone? Kinda ridiculous eh?

Oh well, Enjoyed the walk down memory lane today. Thanks!
blondie

HermitJim said...

Hey Blondie...thanks for dropping by. Yeah, it's a shame when we have to pay $3.00 for a 10 cent ice cream cone...I think the last one I bought was $.75.

I can only hope that the kids today find something to have fond memories about!

See ya later, my friend!

Anonymous said...

You said it all!! Can't help but think kids miss a lot (What ARE mudpies.. . . .)

Cat Melton said...

Thank the Good Lord for Grandparents. Mine always had the big old shade trees in the back yard where you could play for hours, and then come in and enjoy the fresh baked cookies or whatever was on Granny's mind to make that day.
With my children grown now, I am anxiously awaiting the days when I can make these kind of memories with my own grandkids...

Something to smile about, don't ya think?
Cat

HermitJim said...

Hey Cat...you just hit the nail on the head! It's up to us to help the kids of today build up a good supply of memories to get them through the tough times when they get older.

And you are right about another thing...smiling about the very fact that we are looking forward to doing just that!

Thanks, my smiling friend!