DEAR SUN SPOTS: Your column on June 21 asking readers to share summer childhood memories resonated with me so here are mine:  

I was a child in the ’60s and lived in a village near a lake, with my grandparents’ farm just a few miles away. Some of my cousins lived close by too and we were often together. 

I spent a lot of time on the farm, helping in the garden, picking berries, and just wandering through the fields picking flowers, collecting bugs, butterflies, and frogs, and daydreaming. 

At home, I don’t ever remember being bored or expecting my parents to entertain me. I read library books as I sat under my special maple tree or on the porch, and played croquet, badminton, softball, and dodge ball with my siblings, cousins, and friends. We explored various attics and barns with the neighbor kids, riding our bikes from house to house. We reported in at lunch time, scarfing down peanut butter/jelly or bologna sandwiches, potato chips, and Kool-Aid, then were out of the house again until suppertime. 

If we needed a snack, there were two general stores in the neighborhood where we bought penny candy and frozen novelties such as popsicles and ice cream bars. 

Throughout those summers, our only scheduled activity was swimming lessons twice a week in July. It was a treat to have a friend or cousin for a sleepover or go to their house and stay overnight. Another treat was when our busy mom would take the day off from her household chores, pack a picnic, and take us to the beach. 

Dad often grilled our supper in the outdoor fireplace he had made from cement blocks, and for dessert we toasted marshmallows over the leftover embers. After the dishes were done, I often went for a long walk and if neighbors were in their yards or on their porches, I was invited to stay for a visit, heading for home when the sun started to set.  

Some Fridays, we went to the fish fry stand for supper. On Sundays we attended Mass, then later in the day went for ice cream, sometimes paired with a “Sunday drive.” Our family of six could all have cones for $1 in total. 

We watched only an hour of television in the evening, if that. On stormy days, besides books, there were crayons, watercolors, board games and cards, funny little made-up games, and organizing my beach stone and shell collection.  

At a young age, I was taught to pick up after myself and help with household chores like folding laundry and dusting, setting the table, drying the dishes, and making salad. I was proud when I graduated to being the family cookie baker and popcorn maker. 

I know this letter is long, but once I got going, I couldn’t stop. Thank you for the opportunity to share a time when life was simpler. I hope others will write about their summers because I would love to read what they have to say. — Viv, no town

ANSWER: I know our readers will enjoy this beautiful account of your summers as much as I did and that it will inspire other readers to share their stories too. 

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