It was a great time to be a kid in the late 1940s and early 1950s – a slower way of life with cheap gas, little crime, few drugs other than the evil alcohol and tobacco, and most important, no wars. There were more than a few comforts lacking then that we have now like air-conditioning, television, ice makers, automatic washers and clothes dryers, and automatic transmissions, but somehow we survived.
Funny how every now and then today a sound, a smell, a familiar food or a glimpse of an old black and white movie stirs up a bit of summers past. Here are some of my favorites. What are your memories?
Sounds
Swoosh, swoosh of rotating sprinklers
Katydids, cicadas, crickets and other night creatures singing
Fans whirling at night
Static from distant thunderstorms when tuning the Philco console to the Grand Ole Opry
Snick-snick of the reel lawn mower
Smells
Sun-dried sheets
Honeysuckle in bloom
Hot pavement
Clean air after a welcome summer shower
The neighbor’s evening pipe
Tastes
Warm watermelon fresh from the field
Sugarcane
Lemonade and Kool-Aid
Sandwiches and Jello for supper because it’s too hot to cook
Sliced tomatoes fresh from the garden
Home-made peach ice cream
Sights
Sweat rings around kids’ necks and underarms
Women in shorts, halter tops and sandals
Green tree frogs peeking through the window screens
Heat lightening
Business men in white open-collar short-sleeve shirts
Red-checked oilcloth tablecloths
Cardboard "advertising" fans with flat wooden handles
© Copyright 2008 Suzzwords
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Thanks for stirring up some sweet summer memories (though a little later in the century). I do remember the sound of my dad's push lawnmower, you described it perfectly. I recall my grandfather sitting on the front screened porch, armed with a flyswatter. He had deadly aim. I also remember fondly the pretty summer sundresses my mom wore. She would make matching ones for me and my sister.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your door post, this might not be a good time to remember the sound of a screen door slapping back against the frame, its spring making that unique singing sound.
ReplyDeleteI remember a lot of kids used to clothespin playing cards to the spokes of their bicycle wheels - you could make a lot of noise with those.
And the most important sound - korny carny music blaring from the ice cream man's truck.
You sure captured "summer" in your post.
ReplyDeleteYou need to add the sight of lightening bugs glowing in a jar and the smell of your hands after releasing the bugs.;)
you hit the nail on the head! Brings back fond memories -- how about the smell of rain in the air and after the rain, stomping barefoot around in puddles.
ReplyDeleteIt sure was a great time alright Susan....so many great memories stirred up in your post...YIKES, like stepping back in time. Thanks sweetie....
ReplyDelete