The weather the last few days has been a delight. The days are hot but not unbearable. The nights are perfect. Last night it got down to 58°, closed window and light blanket weather. Today will be in the high 70’s with clouds popping in and out. I’m thinking this is a deck day.
When I was a kid, my friend and I sometimes slept in her backyard where there was a fence beyond the grass with a small field and pear trees behind it. We’d sometimes grab a pear from an overhanging branch. The pears never seemed to get ripe. They were always hard. We’d lie on our backs on a blanket on the soft grass so we could see the stars. Back then there were thousands or maybe millions of stars. At least that’s how I remember it. We’d eat a few snacks, chat a while then finally fall sleep. I loved waking up to the sounds of the birds in the early morning.
As we got closer to school starting, the days got shorter a little bit at a time. We still played outside after supper under the streetlights, but that was coming to an end. My mother soon enough would start sending us to bed early reminding us,” It’s a school day tomorrow,” as if we really needed reminding.
I remember school shopping. In Woolworth’s we’d buy all our supplies. I got to pick out my pencil case, my lunch box and my school bag. We’d also buy a few lined Big Chief notepads with an Indian on the front, pencils, a box of crayons and a wooden ruler. When I was young, I wanted TV stars on my lunchbox, but when I was older, I outgrew the stars. I’d choose a tartan design or something similar. I remember a red tartan lunchbox. My school bag was square with a handle on the top and a strap for over my shoulder.
School clothes were easy, a white blouse, a blue skirt and a clip-on western tie. I did get to choose my own shoes, but I was steered to sturdy shoes so they’d last longer. They were tie shoes. My mother would buy us new socks and underwear. School shopping was completed.
The first day of school was always exciting. The rest were seldom exciting.
