“The crickets felt it was their duty to warn everybody that summertime cannot last forever.”

A bit of the heat is returning today and bringing along with it the humidity, but the morning still has a bit of the night, a coolness, a pleasant breeze from the south. The yard is filled with sunlight. Nala found the best spot in the back of the yard in the sun. I called her and she ignored me at first, but then she got up, reluctantly, and came to the deck.

First thing this morning, I went out with the dogs hoping to find my sandal. It disappeared last night and I immediately went hunting, but in the dark I couldn’t see anything even with the back lights on. This morning I saw Nala race to her newest hole and dig out my sandal. She ran with it in her mouth, and I could see the dirt falling out as she ran. I knew better than to chase her. Finally, I enticed her to drop it, grabbed her collar and got the sandal. It was dirty but didn’t even have tooth marks. I wonder what will go missing today.

When I was a kid, this week would have been the last hurrah, the last week of freedom, the last week before school. My mother would take us shopping for new shoes, new uniforms and school supplies. The uniforms were easy, a blue skirt, white blouse and a cowboy tie, or at least that’s what I called it. We could wear whatever shoes we wanted to school so my mother hauled us all down to the shoe store where I got my feet x-rayed, and I put my foot on the silver metal slide to find my shoe size. My mother bought us sturdy shoes, tie shoes, hoping they’d last the whole year through rain and snow and recess.

Picking out my lunch box and pencil case took time. They would be me, the only things I could choose. My lunch boxes often had TV characters on them. I remember my Annie Oakley lunch box. My pencil cases had a different scene on the front but the same things inside as all other pencil cases. I never did know what to do with the plastic triangle except to make straight lines. Sharpening my pencils with the little sharpener took time and was a bit messy as all the shavings ended up either on the table or on the floor. When I was in the fourth grade, I chose a plaid lunch box and a plastic pencil case with a zipper. I was older then.

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2 Comments on ““The crickets felt it was their duty to warn everybody that summertime cannot last forever.””

  1. Bob's avatar Bob Says:

    Hi Kat,

    Today was a little warmer but still humid compared to the dry couple of months we had previously.

    When I was in elementary school the startmofmthe new year was the day after Labor Day. Even in Texas we started late because schools didn’t have air conditioning.

    We didn’t have official uniforms but the unofficial one was a tee shirt, blue jeans, and high top tennis shoes. I always wore Keds, and Wrangler bluejeans. Some kids wore the button fly Levi’s jeans. I wanted a zipper because I had no patience as a kid. 🙂

    My lunchbox reflected whatever I was interested in. One year I had Cowboys such as the Lone Ranger and other years I went for science fiction themes. Although thenhot weather will continue into September, I really enjoy the summer months the most. Now, we are getting into thenshorter days and the count down to the crazy winter solstice holiday buying spree. 😦

    • katry's avatar katry Says:

      Hi Bob,
      Today got warmer then I expected. It also got humid. I had a uke concert today, and where I was got really windy. I wish it has been as windy here.

      Here it is still the day after Labor Day. They are building a state of the art new middle school in my district. I don’t know if it will have AC. I’m hoping it does,

      Catholic schools for the most part have kids wearing school uniforms. Blue and white is still used at the grammar school where I went, but the choices are amazing like pants for girls, vests and sweaters. No ties!

      When I moved to the cape, there was a dress code at the high school I attended. No pants for girls. Boys had to wear shirts with collars, no jeans, tee shirts or sweaters without shirts underneath.

      I also picked lunch boxes which reflected my interests. Most were TV characters.

      Fall is the best time of year here on the cape.


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