Lazy spring days of old

[dong20]

Today is the first spring day this year that feels a little like those I remember as a kid:

Warm but not too warm, sunny, blue skies with a few clouds to make shapes from and a gentle breeze.

I miss (from where I grew up) the smell of freshly mown grass, lying looking at the high flying jets overhead going somewhere exotic, the background soundtrack of insects buzzing in the distance, the faint sound of petrol lawnmowers being brought out of winter storage, the far away murmur of the sea. A perfect recipie for just lazing away an afternoon in the warm sun.

Now living in the city I get to do that rarely but The Great Escape is on the Tube...so, for today I can imagine all's well with the world.:smile:

What are you folks fondest memories of childhood spring days...

 

[Ethyl]

Driving through Napa Valley to visit my grandparents' farm. Northern California is generally rainy in Feb and March but the sun begins to shine in April. I'd sit in the backseat, looking out the window, watching the workers in the vineyards getting ready for the growing season. Always mesmerized by the scenery as our little orange Datsun curved around the mountains.

My grandparents had 20 acres filled with walnut trees, a slew of animals (rabbits, chickens, goat) and my grandfather showed me how to feed them. I'd wander off to the nearby creek and splash around or help my grandmother pick strawberries and make jam. I couldn't wait to be old enough to help my grandfather harvest walnuts. Ah, the life of an eight year old...:smile:

 

[dong20]

.... Ah, the life of an eight year old...:smile:

I remember long hot summers on my uncle's farm, especially making dens from straw bales (thank heavens I don't suffer from allergies) and trying to drive agricultural equipment that was, looking back bloody lethal.

I swear, growing up is overrated....

 

[Ethyl]

I swear, growing up is overrated....

Tell me about it. It's even more apparent when you've had little time to play in recent months, something I seek to modify this summer.....

 

[D_Yorick Yankwilly]

Picking cherries for Sour-cherry jam from the trees on my grandparents 300 acre farm.. Hiding out in their old barn near the rusting tractor (finding the ticks later.. ergh..) Standing in a lake in the poconos with my family fishing, catching a giant chain pickerel.. cooking it that night.. picking blueberries and hiking all day.. swimming for miles in a cold lake or quarry, the squish of the bottom beneath your toes.. Then getting on your bike and seeing if you could ride far enough to carry out your next plan..

You forget what not having a schedule, a plan or a direction is about, to let your mind wander to create joy for right that moment.. A springtime in your mind, that matches with the season without is the best that you can ask for in life..:smile:

 

[dong20]

Picking cherries for Sour-cherry jam from the trees on my grandparents 300 acre farm.. Hiding out in their old barn near the rusting tractor (finding the ticks later.. ergh..) Standing in a lake in the poconos with my family fishing, catching a giant chain pickerel.. cooking it that night.. picking blueberries and hiking all day.. swimming for miles in a cold lake or quarry, the squish of the bottom beneath your toes.. Then getting on your bike and seeing if you could ride far enough to carry out your next plan..

You just reminded me of scrumping escapades, days spent picking wild berries and the resultant belly aches!! I remember being marooned on water many time, on a barely floating door on one occasion. I couldn't yet swim and didn't know at the time the water was only 2 feet deep!!

You forget what not having a schedule, a plan or a direction is about, to let your mind wander to create joy for right that moment.. A springtime in your mind, that matches with the season without is the best that you can ask for in life..:smile:

One of the reasons I love to travel, buy a ticket to A and take it from there, I've come home penniless more than once but never regretted it.

 

[earllogjam]

My best friend and I would go around the neighborhood and test out front lawns barefoot. We liked the thick plush green lawns with the thin blades the best. We also chewed on mustard grass with yellow flowers - the sour taste was delicious.

 

[SpeedoGuy]

Some of the same things for me:

Freshly cut grass and the pleasures of gardening.

The first barbeque dinner of the year.

The prosepect of warmer weather coming up soon.

They're all great memories.