Day 40

6/20/22

Today was HOT! Hot for humans, but extra-hot for goldens! On these days, I will sometimes walk them around the block, but always put my hand on the sidewalk/road to check the temperature. We don't want any burnt paws!

When I was a child, we did not have air-conditioning. We DID have window fans! At night, my mom would often put a cake pan, full of ice and water, in front of the fan to take the temperature down a degree or two. As a child, the heat didn't bother me at all!

During the day, my sainted mother would take us to swimming lessons at the neighborhood pool where we would cool off in the frigid water. On hot days, like today, the cold water was a welcome relief, but on cooler days, it was like jumping into Lake Superior! Back in the 1950s and '60's, the pool was simply a huge rectangle of water with two diving boards, but we thought it was the best place EVER!

After lunch, my mom would gather the neighborhood children at our house where we would all practice for The Christian Hill Follies! Every year, Mom would produce a show with dancing and theatrical presentations for the neighborhood and beyond. The first year, was outside and then she moved it into the garage where she actually hung curtains for a stage area. She made the costumes, choreographed the dances, directed the plays, and rehearsed almost every day until the big opening night! I can still feel the exhilaration in our basement dressing room as we got into our first costume for the opening number.

It started out small, but grew each year until the chairs streamed down the driveway and, eventually, we had to add nights to the performance. Our audience, who brought their own chairs, was mostly family and friends, but there was a fair share of lovely strangers who arrived for the show as well. We all took it seriously and, in retrospect, the show was pretty amazing!

After the afternoon practice and dinner at their respective homes, Mom would pile all 10 to 12 neighborhood kids in her Rambler (there were NO seatbelts and it was always SRO!) and head back to the swimming pool for evening open swimming. She would stay, as an adult was required for entry, and then pile all the wet kids back into her car and head to the DQ. She was amazing!

Now, I don't do a play, but the new generation of neighborhood kids still gets together for water fun in the heat! Lilly, Ranger and Gus would join right in too, if given half the chance, but the hose will have to do. From the look on Lilly's face, it will do just fine!