School just got out, summer’s here — unofficially with the arrival of Memorial Day come Monday anyway — and the kids are already bored.
This might be a long summer. Long, hot summer. Long, long, hot summer.
Back in my day....
Oh, never mind.
There’s plenty to do around here. Lots more than some areas of Mississippi. To begin with they could cool off at the splash pad at Gaddis Park, that is if you are under 12.
Or, go for a bike ride. Why don’t kids ride bikes like they used to? Seems to me, that back in my day — here we go after all — there were swarms of us peddling around all over the place. Lots of times we’d be right up behind the old mosquito fogger truck having a ball.
Around town there would be piles of bicycles outside the TWL or Ben Franklin stores or the Rexall Drugs or Quick Sack Um. We’d just stop and throw our bikes to the ground while we were inside picking out some candy, or a yoyo (Google it), or ice cream, or something cool to drink.
And, we did it all on a budget, too. Fifty cents, maybe a dollar. If you went up to the Roxy Theatre to take in a movie matinee there wouldn’t be much left of two dollars by the end of the picture show.
Times, I suppose, have changed. We’ve figured out that poison meant to kill biting bugs probably isn’t something pre-teens should be inhaling while riding a bicycle down Miley Street or any other street for that matter. Let’s hope they aren’t inhaling other things either.
Back to summer.
No matter how old a person gets, they are never too old to turn on a water sprinkler and play in the homemade rain.
Jump in a pool for a quick cool down or grab a rag and bucket and go wash the car. That used to be fun, didn’t it?
What about stretching out on a blanket in the backyard with a radio playing cool tunes and taking in a few rays of sunshine? Lots of teens have had more than a little fun doing that.
Heck, a friend of mine and me even turned a horse watering trough into a redneck hot tub in the sun back in ‘79 or ‘80. That was lots of fun.
As a matter of fact, I’ve had my eye on one of those big round troughs as a full time swimming pool in my side yard. We’ll see how hot it gets this year before investing.
How about taking a walk down the road or going on a picnic in the yard. Cook hot dogs on the grill and pair them with potato chips and lemonade. That won’t cost much.
Climb a tree or just swing on the porch swing. Go exploring through the woods back behind the house. Build a neat fort out there somewhere and be glad you aren’t too big to still get in it.
How about a treehouse? Every kid loves a treehouse. They are lots of fun to hang out in and lots of fun to build. Just be careful not to fall off the roof. It hurts a bit when you hit the ground. Be glad you can still fit in the treehouse, too.
Looking for torturous fun? Try cutting the lawn at midday. Second thought, you better not, that kind of “fun” is saved for Dad on the weekends! Wouldn’t want him feeling like there was nothing to do this summer.
Still too hot?
Declare war with a water gun fight or bomb your friends and neighbors with water balloons filled with ice water. The ice water is a special treat.
Lie around with the A/C on high and read a good book, look at a magazine or just daydream the day away. Be thankful for the A/C.
Whether you want to or not, just get out from in front of that television and off that phone (after you Google yoyo) and go outside and play.
While you’re at it try to take in a whiff of a skeeter truck and think about how many more things there are to do today than back in my day.
