Carefree Summer Days

The past few weeks I’ve been remembering the carefree summer days of my youth. No worries or stress, just fun filled days doing whatever I wanted. I could walk less than three blocks to the public library and find a book on any subject to read without the pressure of school and trying to get good grades. Our back yard was a perfect place with a covered patio to relax in the shade and read.

There was time for drawing paper dolls and designing their clothes to wear. I liked to crochet and cross stitch and kept busy by making hand made treasures for my “hope chest”. As a teenager, I loved sitting down to the piano to play and sing my favorite songs. I spent hours sitting on my front porch playing the guitar and watching for a certain boy to drive by in his blue Volkswagen.

On special occasions like the 24th of July, we would celebrate by eating out. I was so lucky to live less than a block away from Glade’s, the best place in town for hamburgers, fries and milkshakes. Back then, a milkshake was only 25 cents and they had so many flavors to choose from. My favorite was raspberry, so thick and delicious that I savored every spoonful.

There was always time for playing games. Our back yard was the gathering place for croquet or basketball. If it was too hot, my friends and I would play board games to pass the time. My favorite was “Life” where you would get an occupation and fill your car with pink and blue pegs that represented your children. That game never prepared me for real life where my van would be filled with 8 kids and days would become busy and hectic.

Yes, times have changed and life gets more complex as the years go by. Next week, the last of eight children will be getting married along with the arrival of another grandbaby, number eighteen. Now at family gatherings we will have as many as 36 people, but life is good. The rewards for years of hard work and facing the challenges of raising a family are many. My family is the greatest source of joy to me.

There is a song about happiness I learned a long time ago. I searched out “Charlie Brown happiness song” on the Internet and watched the cartoon of the things that bring happiness to children. It mentions food like ice cream and pizza, but my favorite phrase is “having a sister, sharing a sandwich, getting along”. It made me decide to take time out of my busy schedule to enjoy the simple things in life and share them with my family.

Homemade Ice Cream

4 cup fruit (peaches, raspberries or strawberries)

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 cups sugar

4 cups cream

1 can evaporated milk, chilled

6 cups milk (or more)

Chop or mash the fruit and combine with lemon juice and sugar. Let it to sit for 15 or 20 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Combine all ingredients in a 6 quart ice cream maker and add milk to the fill line. Put the lid on tightly, add ice and rock salt and freeze.

Celebrate the Summer

When I became a June bride I knew it would be the perfect time for future anniversary celebrations. With beautiful warm weather, the end of school and the future summer months ahead, I dreamed of the romantic get-aways Mike and I could have together. Our first anniversary in 1973 gave me another reason to celebrate: I had made it through my first year of teaching school and seven months of a difficult pregnancy. I was looking forward to something really special.

I soon found out that Mike loved to fish. He and his father had a tradition the first week of June of fishing together on the opening day of fishing. When he invited me to go I had mixed emotions. I do love the out-of-doors. I went with Mike on the deer hunt in October and was such a good sport to go camping in the cold. We got two deer and I filled my freezer with all that meat. Cooking the venison made me nauseated but Mike learned to do the cooking. Even though I wasn't fond of the wild meat, it was leaner than beef and so I ate it. If I could endure the deer hunt and eat wild meat I could also carry on with the fishing tradition and enjoy eating the fish we might catch. I decided to go with him.

Well we packed up and headed out on June first for Schofield Reservoir. I thought I was in for a wonderful adventure but our anniversary night was more of a nightmare. Instead of a spacious tent, we slept in the back of his dad's truck. The camper shell was so small it gave me claustrophobia. There was a board placed right above our heads so if you tried sitting up you would hit your head. (Fortunately that didn't happen.) I was very thankful for our anniversary gift. Mike surprised me with two sleeping bags that zipped together. At least I had room to roll over and try to find a comfortable position for my huge belly. In the middle of the night when I woke up with an urgent need, it was extremely awkward for me to get out of the truck but somehow I managed. It was a night long to be remembered, but not a pleasant memory.

We had a wonderful day fishing and that was the first of many fishing trips I went on with “honey”. I enjoyed fishing in the wilderness areas when we would ride our horses to a remote lake or stream miles away from the popular places. My favorite fishing memory was fly fishing on the Thoroughfare River in Wyoming. Mike, his friend Craig and I caught so many fish we had to let most of them go, but we saved enough to wrap them in foil and cook them in the hot coals of the campfire that night. Eating fresh trout in the mountains makes for a happy camping trip.

Mike still loves to fish, but most of the time I send him off with his fishing buddies and I stay home. I tell him he can go anytime he wants as long as he brings home fresh fish for a delicious dinner. If they don't come home with fish, we can buy fresh salmon at the store and still have a wonderful fish fry. I know the health benefits of eating fish and now prefer it to red meat.

I still like to go fishing when it is with the grandchildren. Our first trip with our three little grandsons was so much fun. We even got the great grandparents to go along. Great-grandpa Dick and Mike were kept busy baiting the hooks and I kept busy taking the pictures. The boys were elated every time they reeled in another fish. This year for Micah's June birthday, he wants Papa Mike to take him fishing with just the boys. Maybe I can persuade him to let me go along as the official photographer. What a great way to celebrate the summer with a family fishing trip to the lake. Even if you don't catch any fish you are making memories and spending precious time with the ones you love most.

Melinda's Grilled Salmon

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 tablespoons sugar

1 Tbsp. citrus grill seasoning*

1 tsp. pepper

2 lbs. salmon

Wash salmon thoroughly. Mix the olive oil, sugar, seasoning and pepper in a small bowl. Spread half of the mixture on one side of the fish and place that side down on heavy-duty aluminum foil. Spread the remaining mixture on the other side. Grill the salmon for 12 minutes on the first side. Cover with more foil, sealing edges so the oil doesn't come out and carefully turn it over. Grill for 10 more minutes or until the fish is flaky but still moist. Serve with fresh lemon juice or tartar sauce: Combine 1/2 cup mayonnaise, ½ cup sour cream, 1 Tbsp. dill pickle relish and 3/4 tsp. citrus grill seasoning. *Buy seasoning at Sam's Club or substitute your favorite fish and seafood seasoning if desired.

Cooking tip: To remove the skin, put the skin side down in a hot greased pan for a few minutes or until the skin can be removed.