Now are “Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer” *that Nat King Cole used to sing about.   The lakes; Seneca and Cayuga, Juanita and Lomoka, are sparkling, the temperatures are balmy. Thunder storms come through frequently, often bringing considerable damage with them, via wind and hail but also clearing the air. Soon tomatoes will be ripe in our garden and sweet corn (not in our garden) ready to eat on the cob, freeze or put into corn fritters. One of my sisters-in-law made delectable corn fritters that, when served with maple syrup, melted in one’s mouth.  Fritters are quite labor intensive, so I haven’t tried them --- preferring to remember them as a fine gastronomic experience. But tomatoes from the garden, sliced on buttered bread and topped with leaf lettuce ---- YUM!  Those are within my capabilities.

Our Family Quiz has been composed and is sent out:

“Who has just written a marvelous hard-cover book about family?”

 “Who is juggling two jobs and working on a Master’s Degree?”

“Who found a French-fried rat in the fryer at work?”

“Who needs to avoid an over-dose of jelly beans at Easter, lest she spin around like a top?

“What numbers-savvy person is starting up a free-lance accounting business?””

These are just a few of the questions for considering/guessing.  As families grow larger and produce more generations, it is more difficult to stay connected.  My family members are spread from California to Massachusetts, from Virginia to Vermont.  I had three brothers and a sister, and all have produced children, who have then produced their children, and so on. So, if we all got together, it would be quite a large (and totally fun) clan. So, to keep us connected in our various locations, there is the annual family quiz. It is like pulling teeth without sedation, to pry information out of the multitudes, but if I keep harassing and listening over the year, I usually can come up with a good and entertaining list.  It helps all of us, for We simply mustn’t lose touch!

Just a couple of weeks ago, Kerm and I attended two reunion picnics; one with my high school classmates, and one with retired 4-H professionals, plus a few attendees still working at Cornell. These groups were about friendships we’ve made throughout our lives. Family is important, but we don’t want to lose touch with friends either. Being with those individuals who have shared experiences with us, is a reassuring part of getting older. We can laugh a lot and maybe cry a little as we recall past times. And as we are catching up with what we are doing now, we become friends in a new way.  We may all, in our every-day lives, have our collections of pill bottles that keep us going and we may walk with a limp or a slight bend, but when we are together, we are restored to ages 16 or 25 or 40; capable of taking on the world.  Because we are now older and wiser, we find increased depth of spirit in each other and feel good about being together.  On both occasions, the company was super-fine and satisfying.

Speaking of experiences, summer camps are now in full swing. I was a 4-H camper at Bristol Hills 4-H Camp, and then a counselor there, and then a Summer Assistant who accompanied kids from Wayne County, along with Kathy Treat and Merle Cuningham.  Except for that first summer, when, for at least three days as a camper, I thought I’d die from homesickness, I found camp a fun experience.  Boondoggle lanyards (research Billy Collins’** poem about this), swimming in a pool filled with water that we assumed was straight off a glacier, rising to Reville and going to sleep with Taps ---- it was all good.  I also went to a Girl Scout camp once --- on Seneca Lake.  Seneca’s waters were nearly as cold as the pool at Bristol Hills camp.  Previously, I’ve written about camping as an adult, with 4-Hers, and our kids.  But going away to camp, as a young person, is quite a different experience and one that is good for most children.  It fosters a bit of independence, introduces kids to stories and singing around a campfire, and is one more learning experience in getting along with a variety of personalities. Sometimes, we find new best friends, and always, do we stash away memories that still warm our hearts seventy years later.

I found this tidbit somewhere, but do not remember its source. It is a good comment on the importance of friends and family (who can also be friends) in our lives.  “Why we need friends; because they laugh at the same stupid things we do.  Because they give us honest advice. Because they will be there for us, even if they are thousands of miles away. Because they celebrate with us when we’re at our best but still love us at our worst.” I am so very grateful for those wonderful people in my life who supply those very crucial needs.

It is always fun to look backward to the good times.  But realistically, we are compelled to return, eventually, to times in which we are currently living.  And these right-this-very-minute-times are not always so carefree and happy as we’d like.  Mr. Rogers has said that his mother told him to “look for the good; for those doing good”, whenever he became discouraged.  So, when I’m looking with disfavor on the world as depicted in the evening news; the disgusting and clamorous politicking, selfish power-hungry leaders, the suffering from continuous wars --- I try to think of the good things that are happening around me.  There is our local food pantry, providing sustenance for those who experience food insecurity, for whatever reason.  Volunteers “staff” that organization and are willing to take big chunks of time and energy from their own lives to help others.  There is our pastor, who is essentially the “community pastor” since she is the only full-time clergy in town.  She can be found at school, at community events, visiting those in nursing facilities, sharing on Face Book, at Spencer Picnic, jogging by and waving, as well as in her church office, where all are welcome to stop by.  Then there is a guy we know, who keeps track of several people who, seemingly, lack the skills to cope well with life.  He hooks them up with resources and helps where he can. He and his wife have helped to raise three children besides their own two.  And there’s the woman who, even with serious health issues, continues to send out a community news sheet as well as connecting people with transportation to medical appointments.  There is also the man in our neighborhood, who kindly keeps track of his neighbors, helping out when there is a need.  Remembering these people (and many more) keeps me from succumbing to the world’s always-ready-to-pounce nightmares.

“Here are the bridge-builders, the hand-holders, the light -bringers, those extraordinary souls wrapped in ordinary lives who quietly weave threads of humanity into an inhumane world.  They are the unsung heroes in a world at war with itself. They are the whispers of hope that peace is possible.  Look at them in this present darkness.  Light your candle with their flame and then go build bridges, hold hands, bring light to a dark and desperate world. Be the hero you are looking for.  Peace is possible. It begins with us.”***

As July speeds by and August moves in, we need to turn off the news more often and soothe our injured spirits by focusing on those who do good, which may inspire us to do good ourselves.  We need to reject the divisive, clamoring and listen to bird song and wind in the trees.  And we need more tomato sandwiches, listen to more of Nat King Cole’s music, and to find more reasons to laugh together, and reconnect.

Carol writes from her home In Spencer. She may be reached at: carol42wilde@htva.net.

*Bully Collins –American Poet and very popular because of his down-to-earth poetry.

**Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer” - written by Hans Carste ---- originally entitled “Du Spielst ‘ne Tolle Rolle.”  Made popular by Nat King Cole.

***L.R.Knost ----Founder of Little Hearts/Gentle Parenting and editor of Wholistic Parenting magazine.