I can remember the dog days of August, back when I was a kid. I didn't have any friends that lived close to me, so most of my hot, miserable days were spent playing by myself. I say hot, miserable, but they really weren't. Hot, maybe, but in no way could they be called miserable. I was too busy in my own little world, be it playing in the World Series, pitching for the New York Yankees, or leading a platoon of make believe soldiers into battle in WWII, or traipsing the countryside with my faithful companion, Elvis.
Oh, the peace and tranquillity of those days! I believe that if I could bottle and give away the serenity, the fun, the quietness of those days, this world would be a much better place!
2 comments:
I always thought that God gave us the Dog Days of summer so we would be relived to get back to school out of the sweltering heat. Of course, in retrospect, there was no air conditioning at Atkins-Porter elementary in the sixties, so you didn't escape the dog days, you just had lots of company to help you endure them.
Those lazy wasps climbing up and down the chains from which the lights hung are iconic images of late summer/early autumn for me. And thinking of images, what about those poor teachers? The women were dressed to the nines with stockings and starched dresses. How did they look so pretty in all that heat? And Mr. Atkinson and Mr. DeBruce wore suits to school... suits with jackets, no less.
After the 3:00 bell rang we all flew home on our bikes to squeeze the last little bit of fun out of summer. The days were getting shorter, our tadpoles in the creek had turned magically into frogs, it would soon be jacket weather, but for just a little while longer, it was wonderful, blessed, hot, sticky summer. Amen.
I can remember the hot, hot days at A-P. The thing I can't remember is any teacher dressed up. I'm not saying they weren't, I am just saying to a 5 to a 10 year boy, that is something that just wasn't noticed. Maybe Mrs. Simmons, in the fourth grade, was dressed pretty nicely, but it seems like all the others were old maids.
That has got me wondering if all generations feel the same? When you are young, and very impressionable, do all the teachers seem old and out of touch, more like Grandma? As I get older, the teachers seem more young and vibrant. Do these same teachers seem old and decrepit to their young charges?
Something else anonymous said got me to thinking. I can only remember 2 men at A-P, Mr DeBruce and Mr. Atkinson. Is it the same today. Women teaching the earlier grades, and some men teaching junior high, and more teaching high school?
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