Sweet Burn

It’s been a long time since I last experienced a summer day like those I remember from childhood…

A walk through an overgrown field with crickets, grasshoppers, moths, and the occasional mosquito (!!!).

A mid-calf wade through cool river water, walking back through the field barefoot, boots tied together and slung over my shoulders.

A conversation sitting on lawn chairs in the shade.

A late afternoon nap in a quiet and drowsy upstairs bedroom.

“Camping” inside the trailer in the driveway ((well, OK, not camping but another conversation inside the trailer in the driveway).

A quintessential summer evening meal eaten outside on a patio: hamburgers on the BBQ, local fresh corn on the cob, potato salad, and homemade wild blueberry pie.

A bit of late night television with the sweet night air blowing in through the screens of the open windows.

The bittersweet pain of the sunburn on my chest from not putting on sunscreen before I did all of the above.