One of my favorite childhood past times was watching the clouds float by. When I was young, we’d break from playing and bike riding to plop down in the grass. Sometimes under the shade of a tree but more likely in full sun since we lived in a new neighborhood and there weren’t many trees. If mom caught sight of us from inside, she’d open the window and shout, “Get out of that grass. It’ll make you itchy.”And it would. But we were OK with that.
When I outgrew playing and bike riding, I had a different summer routine. I grabbed my straw beach bag and made sure it had all the essentials.
Oils (check). Johnson’s with the pink lid, and coconut scented Hawaiian Tan in the brown bottle.
I was protected with a whopping 2 SPF.
My watch (check). In my bag, not on my wrist. No tan lines permitted.
My trusty transistor radio (check)—tuned to “yours truly KOMA. Oklahoma City.” They had a jingle and a special tone to remind sun soakers to turn over every thirty minutes.
My current reading material (check)—frequently Alistair Mclean when he had a new release or if I found an old one I hadn’t read. Always a thriller or mystery unless I was reading Gone With the Wind… again.
A pillow (check). A towel (check). Picnic quilt (check). Sun hat (check). Sunglasses (check).
Before I left the house I filled a tumbler with ice and filled it with Coke.
Out in the backyard I unpacked in reverse order. The quilt went down first, aligned with the sun. I wrapped the towel around the pillow to protect it from sweat and oil. Next I slathered on the oil and arranged the radio and watch within reaching distance and stretched out with my book. When I laid on my back I shaded my eyes with my hat and sunglasses and looked for shapes in the clouds drifting by.
What about you? Do you see what I see in these clouds? And just now I suddenly see the Roadrunner in a cloud of dust in these images. Leave a comment and let me know what it looks like to you.
A friend, Susan, told me she sees a cardinal. When I when I look again I see Snoopy doing his happy dance.