Commentary by Chris Clegg
All the seasons are terrific but put against the wall and forced to decide, summer has to be the best!
My best memories of summer are from my childhood. Of course, summer meant no school and that was tops on my list. I was raised on a farm and there were chores. Feeding the chickens and pigs, picking roots (bleah!), picking up square bales, later running the tractor and working in the field.
Later, I took an interest in gardening. Mom was so thrilled she finally had help weeding the garden she struck a deal with me. She would buy all the seed I wanted (I had one of the largest pea patches in the community) but she forced me to grow turnips and beets for dad. Smallest rows in the garden, I might add, but still plenty to go around!
There was work but I can’t honestly say I was ever being over-worked. There was plenty of time for play and relaxation.
Plenty of Charlie Brown’s misery occurred during summer. Losing countless ball games and never being able to fly a kite rated highest. Still, many cartoons have Charlie Brown walking onto the baseball field with a big smile, with hopes of winning that first game. Good times!
Many enjoyable summer nights were spent on the ball field with the Twin Mills Rangers, a slo-pitch team I played on. Just a great group of teammates and a fun bunch. We lost a few games but also won our fair share, including several tournaments and league titles. No Lucy in right field to worry about!
And unlike Charlie Brown, I did hit a home run! More than one, I might add!
I remember playing softball and soccer with my cousins, younger and older than I. In late evening, the green grass and the fresh dew is an incredible feeling you have to experience with bare feet. Other favourites? The smell of freshly-cultivated soil or sweet clover growing by the side roads. There must be some farmer in me!
Mid-July in summer is especially gratifying. The raspberries and saskatoons both ripen the same time. I can literally live on them for two weeks with a little cereal cream and sugar with a few fresh treats from the garden! Some years, the new potatoes were ready. They are best when small and melt like butter when cooked!
When younger, we made popsicles from Kool-Aid. As Calvin in Calvin and Hobbes cartoon fame once said, “It isn’t summer if your tongue isn’t purple!” Grape was my favourite!
Heck, even the salt block in the barnyard provided a treat! We would break off small chunks and snack away! There is a family photo to prove it! Honest!
When I recall it a favourite activity emerges. It was sitting around a big fire in mother’s yard eating hotdogs, smokies, and enjoying beverages. Later, when it got cooler, the heat from the fire warmed not only my body but my soul. Some nights, I would sit outside until 1 a.m. alone with my thoughts. No stick or piece of lumber was safe when it was time to build a fire! Just after dusk, we loved searching for satellites. Nephews Ryan and Matthew were the best. I guess those younger eyes enjoyed a distinct advantage!
It is no surprise the best times all involved food and family. To quote Col. Sherman Potter from MAS*H, “If a man’s got family, he’s rich!”