Friday Five

Presbyterian Gal posted "It’s August. An oppressively hot and humid month where many of us live.

I remember the Al Pacino movie though not much about the plot. Just that it was very, very hot. And he had giant sweat stains on his shirt. (ed note: It was "Dog Day Afternoon" and he was robbing something to pay for a sex change for his lover)
As I pass through this year’s dog days in my felon ridden neighborhood (OK, just two housefuls. But isn’t that enough?), I am trying to focus on the blessings apparent around me, past and present, that I might not notice, necessarily. In that spirit, this week’s Friday Five goes thusly:"

1. What is your sweetest summer memory from childhood? Did it involve watermelon or hand cranked ice cream? Or perhaps a teen summer romance. Which stands out for you?
My sweetest summer memories (and saddest) involve the outdoor summers growing up in Ohio. We had a big yard that was my grandparents and where my parents build a house and my aunt and uncle had a house . There were several gardens and an Orchard, an outdoor fireplace to cook and big grape arbor, a giant swing my uncle built, a basketball hoop, a voleyball court, and lots of lawn. We were always outside playing, cooking, eating, picking fruit! It was lovely.

2. Describe your all time favorite piece of summer clothing. The one thing you could put on in the summer that would seem to insure a cooler, more excellent day.
Well, I did wear a two piece Jantzen swim suit from the time I was 16 till I lost the top, around the time I was 35 or so. I loved that navy suit with the swimming girl on the leg and the white piping...

3. What summer food fills your mouth with delight and whose flavor stays happily with you long after eaten?
Corn, watermelon, tomatoes, basil, and ice cream-that was easy.

4. Tell us about the summer vacation or holiday that holds your dearest memory.
Probably a trip to Italy I several years ago, although it took place in March!

5. Have you had any experience(s) this summer that has drawn you closer to God or perhaps shown you His wonder in a new way?
I'm still looking for this. As a child I prayed and prayed, obsessively one might say, that my father would stop drinking and my parents would stop fighting, and my prayers went unanswered. Sigh. Every day, in the subway, I pass people with red baseball caps and red aprons who accost me with flyers, saying prayer works. It always takes me back to the prayers of my childhood.

Bonus question: When it is really hot, humid and uncomfortable, what do you do to refresh and renew body and spirit?
A nice cold shower, followed by a nap. Or a swim in my lovely pool on 42nd St.