summertime....i wish it were mine

it's summertime. i have had that revelation that most people who work a 9-5 must have at some time or another......where is summer? it just seems that when june 21st rolls around that i should be able to sleep in delicously crisp, cool sheets to wake up just in time to throw on a swimsuit that was drying somewhere and grab a towel and some sandals, shorts and a tshirt and be driven to the pool in the early morning mist. friends would be there. cold, cold water and swimming lessons. then as the sun worked it's way overhead more people would arrive, swimming lessons were over and free swim begins. perhaps some soda and some sticky sweet treat bought in the copa cabana (otherwise known as the snack bar at the callaway pool). we would swim all day, as long as we could.

there were fireflies, homemade ice cream with fresh georgia peaches, fireworks, parades, bicycle rides, swimming in the lake, fishing, hours upon hours to watch this new channel called mtv or endless movies, barbie houses to decorate and their stories to be told, a bowl of fresh blueberries or strawberries for breakfast. and the trips.....oh the trips.....trips to see my dad full of excitement and day trips to hanna barbera land, astroworld or galveston where we caught fresh crabs in white nets....trips to the beach to spend hours riding the waves while my grandaddy stood there with his hand holding my raft to keep it from drifting away then miles of sand to play in and make believe i was hosting my own cooking show with my sandy concoctions, fresh oysters fried crispy, delicious shrimp......trips to the mountains with endless lines of souvenir stores, outlet malls, water slides and swimming pools i could never spend enough time in...spontaneous trips with my mother to go see my grandmother in her cute little apartment in alabama with no air conditioning but that she managed to keep us cool in and where she made us neat little sandwich lunches served on pretty trays and never tired (every single time) of pulling out every single item in her cedar chest and pouring over the memories with me of my mother's wedding dress, my parents wedding pictures, my mom's little girl photographs and her old pictures and flapper dress she wore in the 20's.

cold cold air conditioning after being out in the hot southern sun. eating as much french toast as my grandmother would let me. lemon sours at hillside pharmacy with my mom hearing stories about how she went there as a little girl after dancing lessons. spending the night....or a week at my friend carmin's house...walking to pizza hut to play miss pacman....listening to the fat boys, cyndi lauper and duran duran..dancing around to "lucky star" ...watching carmin in awe as she daringly painted her walls with polka dots and splatter paint, not sure if her mom would laugh, cry, appluade or both...the tape that we recorded messages and songs on and sent back and forth to each other until it wore out. the butterflies in my stomach and not being able to sleep in excitement the night before going to six flags. convinincing my friend lynn we should play beauty shop with her dolls and really wash and cut their hair. hide and go seek in the dark. trying to sleep in the jackson's camper and getting so scared i had to go inside. wishing with all my heart we could go camping for real with a tent in the woods. watching my dad build my barbie doll house from scraps of lumber in his garage. flying on a plane through the fluffy white clouds and endless blue skies. making coke floats and sunshine zap! smoothies with my mom in the kitchen on vernon rd with the yellow chairs.

oh summertime......