Hope you're staying safe and finding ways to beat the heat. The hot weather has me thinking about what we did during the hot summers when I was growing up. The only air conditioner we had in the house was a window unit in my parent's bedroom, and it was only run at night for them to sleep. I can remember days in front of the fan and visiting the few stores in town that had AC for some relief. The favorite was the Factory Outlet, which was the outlet for the local sweater factory. Always a bargain to be had there, but you had to inspect the merchandise carefully to see if you could live with the defect.
The movie theater was also air conditioned, so a movie was a real treat for several reasons in the summer. They only played B movies and I saw a lot of old Disney and Elvis Presley movies there. It cost a quarter for kids at that point in time, so all four of us could go for only a dollar. We lived in town, and were able to walk to all of these places. That way we didn't have to depend on our parents for a ride. That gave us more flexibility which we appreciated.
We also went swimming at the city pool. My father would do electrical work for them at the beginning of the season which would earn us a season pass. The pool was a mixed blessing. This was back in the days before sunscreen, so we four, fair-skinned sisters, had more sunburns than we liked. And when we got one, we had to wear a T-shirt over our swimsuits until it healed. I didn't like the T-shirts, but those were the rules. Also, my mother would give us 2 hours from the time we left home until we got back. It was a 15 minute walk each way, so that gave us an hour and a half there. Not nearly as much time as the popular kids got, but was probably smart considering the sun. And, of course, we went no where if our work list wasn't completed.
Back to the here and now. Most, if not all places, I go have AC, including our house. I am very thankful for that. To beat the heat, I've been working in the yard during the early morning and late evening when it's not quite so hot. Despite the hot weather, there are still things thriving and here are a few of them.
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| Day lily |
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| Bachelor buttons |
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| Marigold |
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| House wrens just before they fledged. The nest was crowed with 7 in there. The nest wasn't empty for long. As of yesterday, there were 3 more eggs in it. |
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| Dianthus |
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| Day lily |
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| Cloudy sunset |
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| Rising full moon |
