I know.
"Duh, EMZ, you live in Arizona"
Seriously, I dread running into anyone outdoors lately for fear they'll want to stop and chat [outside]. I've lived here my whole life [college and all] so why the heck does it always seem like such a shock when it's so hot, come summer?
Clothes stick to my skin. Beads of sweat appear in places I'd rather not mention. And by the time my car finally cools down I'm at my destination and I have to step out into the fiery furnace, yet again. I hate suffering through these three months of sticky thigh sweat.
But this wasn't always the case.
I remember being a hot [like hot and stinky] 9-12 year old when hot days called for a Popsicle lunch and a 3pm crystal-light lemonade stand.
The outfit 6 out of 7 days was a bathing suit and jelly sandals [with yummy brown foot sweat]. The look was "burned white girl with freckles". I rushed through daily chores, like a tornado. Then I'd wait, while watching the Smurfs, for Shauna, Melissa, Amy, Brooke or Melody to call with the question. . . . . . . .
"can you come over and swim?" [we didn't have a pool] Sprinkler under the trampoline . . . YES. Pool . . . No.
So, I was off, like dirty chonies. On my blue banana seat bike to any friend's place that would take me.
We'd sometimes hop from house to house. If we needed money . . . we'd go to the Harward's ---- they always had crazy amounts of change lying around. awesome. If we needed food right then ----- the Pierson's [she bought all the good name brand stuff and let us sit sopping wet on her couch]. We went to the Westover's if we wanted a gourmet lunch with little pieces of parsley in our ham sandwiches. No joke. But never allowed inside until we were violently dry. [I get it now, Mrs. W.]
We'd play right up until dinner time then plead beg to have each other stay for dinner. [after figuring out who's mom was making the sweetest meal.]
When the biggest stress was thinking about who's mom was going to fork out $2 to let us each get a snack at the Apollo pool. No stress. No drama. No worries. Just letting each day pass with freeze tag and jump or dive contests.
I'd donate my ROTH IRA to go back - for just one more day.
20 comments:
I laughed through the rest of the post after the "dirty chonies" comment. Oh, and now spell check is attempting to let me know that "chonies" isn't a real word.
I don't know how anyone survives the heat there.
the good ol' days theme made me smile and then I realized we are only a week into summer and it already too hot. The smile went away :(
Growing up in SoCal summer was always a dream. On my bike to the beach, coming home for dinner hot and sweaty and tanned and sandy. Those were the days indeeed. Contrary to most people, I enjoy 9 of 10 hot days, but sometimes.... Had to look up chonies, never heard that before.
aahhh, you take me back :)
You had me at jelly shoes.....
Some great moments for sure. It's weird how when you're living it you don't realize how great it really is, huh?
I, too, had to google chonies. lol
Funny how kids are in such a hurry to grow up. If they ONLY knew...
I think the heat is all in your head! Now get out to the pool and relive your childhood!
Ah.. Yes... The "yummy brown foot sweat" from the gellies that we had to BEG our mom's to buy us because she knew we would whine about the blisters no moer then a day later? Ya those awesome things :)
I will send you over an imaginary big gust of ocean breeze how about that?
I'll give ya $2 to get a snack at the pool...if it would make you :D. xoxo
Loved jelly shoes and crystal light, or the other staple, Country Time Lemondade!
Sweet memories Em! Some days I would give almost anything to go back to those days too! Such a carefree, fun and exciting childhood we had. I did almost exactly same things growing up as you did . . . I just did them with your friends older siblings!
Good memories . . . hope our kids will feel the same way about their childhood as we did about ours. :)
Someone should make an adult summer camp where you can relive your childhood for like a week. It's total doable, in fact the only thing stopping us would be us.
Sounds idyllic. I didn't used to hate Summer either. It was swimming every afternoon at my Aunts and eating watermelon straight from the fridge then seeing who could spit the seeds the furthest.
This post totally made me smile!
Now that post made me all kinds of happy!
I remember when we were too young and naive to think that the sun was an evil orb which could only be defeated in varying degrees of SPF. Most of us are paying for it now, but it sure made for a truly carefree time away from school. The biggest worry was whether the ice cream man would drive by each day. Good times.
Love this! I didn't love the heat, even as a child, but I'm weird like that. LOL
This is why I wont visit AZ between May thru September, I dont miss it
I thought my parents were the only ones in AZ that didnt have a pool?? How did we survive??
I'm not even going to mention that it was 60s all weekend in Seattle. I won't even mention it. See how good I was?
I know. Been thanks god for that tropical storm in the gulf. When its not raining th e past few days its been in the mid 80s.
I'm reading this a couple days late but GREAT POST!!
Makes me thing of a song called IF HEAVEN IS by Andy Griggs.
Takes me back to a better day. That song and your post. Thanks.
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