{"id":49608,"date":"2023-08-01T02:00:44","date_gmt":"2023-08-01T07:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlenenotgrass.com\/?p=49608"},"modified":"2023-07-31T19:38:33","modified_gmt":"2023-08-01T00:38:33","slug":"back-to-school-stress-summer-memories-and-ice-cream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlenenotgrass.com\/back-to-school-stress-summer-memories-and-ice-cream\/","title":{"rendered":"Back-to-School Stress, Summer Memories, and Ice Cream"},"content":{"rendered":"
Once upon a time the first day of school was the Tuesday after Labor Day. In those days, summer break was really a summer break, as in it lasted all summer. My little brother Steve and I spent many hot summer hours playing at home with Mama. I was 14 before I lived in a house with air conditioning. Most days we walked across the parking lot at the back of our yard at least once to enjoy a visit with Daddy while he worked in Daddy Leland’s air conditioned grocery store. Air conditioning was such a luxury back then that stores had the words “Air Conditioned” on the door to encourage customers to come in and get cool. Daddy Leland was so modern that he had air conditioning and an automatic door. He was what you call “uptown!”<\/p>\n
In the afternoons the popsicle truck rolled along the street in front of our house, playing its alluring music. Sometimes Mama gave us a nickel or a dime to buy a treat. Of course, we could buy those at Daddy Leland’s store, too, but it was fun to buy them from the popsicle truck.<\/p>\n