When I was a child, I couldn’t wait for the freedom of summertime. Summer meant going barefoot and swimming. Best of all, freedom from rigid schedules. I loved school, but I didn’t love getting up early five days a week. Food was better in the summertime, too. My grandparents and our neighbors all had big gardens, which they shared.

Although fresh vegetables meant shelling peas, breaking corn, and washing peanuts, the food was wonderful. Summertime also brought relatives who came to visit, family reunions, church activities, and sleepovers. I loved summer then, and I love it now.