July 23, 2007

• Monday Memories

  Over the past few days, I have been thinking about all of the different summers in my life and what made them memorable.  My memories are of climate, songs on the radio, swimming in different places, different friends, good and bad summers, etc.

  Climate:  Moving from the San Francisco Bay Area was a shock when I arrived in Oklahoma August 27, 1972 with my one pair of denim shorts.  I never needed more than one pair of shorts in California where the temps rarely went above 80 degrees.  On most days, light weight slacks were sufficient and on many days a jacket was needed.  In Oklahoma, the summer heat (especially in August & September) beats down on anyone outside, and the humidity strangles you if the sun doesn't burn you.  However, the summer heat was my first exposure to extreme seasons, compared to the mild changes in California.  I loved it.  I still enjoy the changes of season being so well defined and have to bite my tongue if I ever consider criticizing the heat of the day.  Of course, now I wear longer dresses everyday, but I can't say I find them to be less cool than shorts.

  Songs on the radio:  I guess when I sat by the pool, there was always music from someone's radio.  The same songs being repeated over and over became emblazoned in my head representing the "Summer of 1966," etc.  Actually, the summer of '66 was the one I will always remember as my "best summer" ever!  I'll go into more details in a minute.

  Swimming:  The different pools I hung out at, for some reason, are a big memory.  Weird, huh?  The high school pool where I taught swimming in the mornings and stayed all afternoon with friends.  The "good" high school pool in another city at Aragon High where I took swim lessons as a little child AND paid admission to get into when I was older.  I think the "good" pool at Aragon High was more like the "first pool" I had been exposed to outside of my wading pool at home!  Then there were the apartment pools from the different places I lived after moving to Oklahoma City.  I actually had a pool in the backyard of the first house I bought. 

  Different friends:  I remember Elke Siewertson (summers of '66 & '67) and the fact her family had a BOAT(!!!) and I sometimes got to go to the marina with her and her dad.  There is Nancy McNeill (summers of '68 through '71) and all the driving around we did to different pools, the mall, etc. and how I envied her beautiful thick hair!  My move to Oklahoma City was in August '72 and my roommates, Debbie & Glenda Smoot, were my only friends for the first few months I lived here in the city.  Kim O'Connor was my closest friend ever and we spent the summers in the early 80's doing things no Christian should do - but that's where I was in those days . . . lost.  I have a very fond memory of raising my oldest daughter, Stephanie, as a single parent.  I remember hours by the pool of our apartment and eating Sonic footlong cheese coney dogs, onion rings, & lemonade; it was a summer tradition for Stephanie and me.  Next: my husband, Jesse, who is the "Backyard Grill King" of my life!

  Good and bad summers:  As I said, I have always called the summer of 1966 the best summer of my whole life.  Maybe I call it that NOW because I've said it for so long!  Certainly I can remember other good summers!  The summer 1966 was my summer after 7th grade and, looking back now, it seemed like I felt very grown up.  I became aware that clothes had "style" and plaid pants with a checked shirt didn't go together!  I discovered "Seventeen" magazine and cute boys (none of whom returned a glance my way!).  It was the first time I really listened to music (on my transistor radio) and learned to like different songs; which, by the way, are now classic songs from the past or instrumentals I hear in the grocery stores!!!!  Then there are some not so great memories, like the one summer I lost a baby.  Another summer, I watched helplessly while my marriage deteriorated and it culminated in my husband leaving me for another woman on Labor Day.  But, along with the summer of 1966, I'd have to add the summer of 1997 when my current husband swooped into my life with his large family AROUND MY POOL and gave the best pool party, ever, at MY house!  We quickly became bestfriends and then husband and wife.  He and his family brought so much joy to the summer of 1997, and he continues to bring joy to each of my days.

  More recent memories are of my young children in our different backyard wading pools, which will eventually have to become bigger pools as they grow!  The current songs on the radio have been replaced by their voices singing "Standing on the Promises of God," and the general sound of voices from children giggling and having fun.  We've learned to take advantage of the summer bounty of fruit, since fruit in Oklahoma the rest of the year leaves a lot to be desired!  My husband loves to cook outside and calls it "cookin' a mess o' meat" when he does, because that's his only contribution to summer meals - the sides are my responsibility!  He's not only the "Backyard Grill King" but also the "King of Swimming Pools," because every child has a great time with him while he attacks them under water and throws them high in the air or gives them piggyback rides on his back. 

  I rarely get in the water anymore, but have managed to teach two girls to swim.  I'm waiting for another backyard pool where I'll have some privacy!  I don't listen to popular music on the radio, but don't seem to miss it, either.  My family members are my bestfriends and life is good!  I still like the heat of the summer compared to the cool California summers, and I have more "good summers" now than "bad summers" . . . which is always a GOOD thing! 

   

   

  • 10:22 am
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