Saturday, June 07, 2008

Being Cool


With the temperature to reach 32 Celsius (89.6 Fahrenheit), it’s a day for running through the sprinkler, a picnic lunch under the shade of the maple tree (PBJ sandwiches), a spitting watermelon seeds contest, eating as many popsicles as you can and hoping the Ice Cream Truck plays its jingle nearby.

And while I’m perfectly capable of doing all those things, odds are I won’t.

(Well, maybe the popsicles…)

Growing up is not all it’s cracked up to be.

Hot summer days were much more enjoyable as a child.

As long as you could be outside and find ways to cool off, life was good.


“I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream…”

(childhood chant)

16 comments:

oreneta said...

It's 32 there!!!!OMG!!!

It is hotter than here!

Holy cow.

If I were you, I'd go for the watermelon in the shade and spit the seeds....if nothing else.

Charlotta-love said...

I'll tell you what not to do. Don't ride your bike to the grocery store a mile away at 10am in Georgia. It's 90* F in the morning here!

Princess Pointful said...

Do it all anyways. No one needs to be productive when it's sunny outside.

The wet coast is still, well, wet. We apparently broke a record for the coolest temperatures for a June 4th. *sigh*

Sherry said...

Oh baby it's hot outside!!!! Woo!!

I went down to the Beach and walked along the boardwalk around 9:30 -- beautiful and the water was so blue -- there was even a decent cool breeze and then suddenly "full stop" - no breeze and just heat...could have gone for one of those popsicles!!!

I cracked and put the ac on when I got home...

Jules said...

Too true. And you never really noticed the heat when you were little. And if you did it was quickly forgotten in play. Now....... well thank goodness for air conditioning!

Angel said...

woohoo!!! I waiting all stinkin winter for this heat!!!! YAYAYAYAY! I vow to never complain about it....

and I love banana popsicles!!!

Cipriano said...

It was way hot here in Ottawa, too.
So hot I've gotta start locking my balcony door, and my fridge!
I heard a racket out there this afternoon and went out to find a flock of pigeons drinking cool frosty beer. Which would be OK, except it was MY BEER!
And they throw the empties over the railing!

Lynda said...

hahah the pigeons drinking beer.. that was funny.
It is hot here too! between 35 & 40 all the time... sleeping with the a/c on...
But a drier heat than Sydney.

The Guy Who Writes This said...

Beth, just think how amused your neighbors would be if they saw you out on the Slip and Slide on your front lawn. But then again think of all the bruising and swelling you'd have to endure as well.

Anonymous said...

You're right. I haven't run through a sprinkler in years.
I avoid pretty much anything with seeds in them. Give me a slice of watermelon, and I'll pick out the seeds before I eat it.
Still, there are things I do better as an adult than I did as a child. I don't make as big a mess eating popsickles. Nobody tells me to go outside and play anymore. I can sit still for five minutes. I take greater pleasure in reading now.
But oooohhhh... wouldn't it be fun running down a hill with a group of friends, screaming at the top of your lungs?!!!

PG said...

That 32 must not include humidity. Humidity is the worst. I'm laying in my bedroom beside the fan. It's the only way I can feel comfortable in my apartment at the moment. I did notice that the popsicle freezer at the grocery store was pretty empty. Everyone must have had the same idea.

contemporary themes said...

Your writing evokes so many childhood memories. We used to have watermelon seed spitting contests!

Stay cool!

Shari said...

Hear, hear.

Oh, the glory days of childhood...swimming, playing, no real bill-paying responsiblities....why do we want to grow up? Oh, because no one tells us what to do? Only to find that they still do-government tells us to pay taxes, bosses tell us to work, and then there's all the laws we have to obey....if you are in New Jersey, don't slurp.(I think it's NJ). Annoying noise?

Angel is always nuts about that ice cream truck jingle.

Anonymous said...

I hear you!! I thought by living on a lake, I would be in it all the time. I don't think I have gone in swimming or floating, the whole time we have lived here. Just kayaking or the motor boat.

I am getting old, I like the AC, when it is hot. Period.

We are going on our 3rd or 4th day of 90*F weather here and it wears me out. Unless, I stray to the ice cream store.

Stay cool!

Lainey-Paney said...

It's been almost a hundred degrees here in Texas.
and yes, the ways of keeping cool (read: slip-n-slide) were more fun as a kiddo.

Barrie said...

You know what I miss from the ice cream man? Buried Treasures!! They were these orange sherbet things on a plastic stick. On top of the stick and under all the sherbet was a one-dimensional something (like a flat monkey). One summer I collected circus animals. Hey! I'm going to google Buried Treasure!