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I was told as a child that the first signs of spring were a robin, the greening of trees, and that summer began on the 21st of June. But as a parent and a past block leader I know this is not true.
The first signs of Spring are the mummer of voices on the sidewalk, a soft knock on the door and a small person saying: “Can Hassie come out and play?”
The evenings lengthen with the help of daylight saving time and soon it is very apparent summer is here. You see groups of children coming down the street in the middle of the day, loaded with books and papers, smiling happily. SCHOOL IS OUT….
We all know that summer is a time of fun and frolic , vacation trips and off to Camp Minnie Ha Ha for three weeks; a time when we see our youth playing on lawns, in alleys and streets. On hotter days we watch as they refresh themselves from the heat by turning on the fire hydrants. We listen to the clamor as they spend long hours on porches or wander aimlessly about the neighborhood in search of activity.
We know the initial joy of being out of school for 3½ months is gone when the first fights start as the youngsters seek some place to go and something to do.
September is greeted with a general community sigh of relief as parents and neighbors try collecting their frayed nerves, and renewing relationships lost during summer crises. We mend broken windows, replant trampled flowers, while thanking heaven that summer is over and all the “little brats” are back in school.
During the early Fall we gently stuff our ears with cotton as we wait for a frigid blast of wind to drown out the last yells of companionship. Settling down to the long unfettered Winter evenings of T.V., bookreading, and such, we forget our Summer “problems.” Heedlessly we enjoy the tranquility of winter hours, which slip all too quickly by. Suddenly we hear the chatter of voices and patter of small feet outside our yet unopened windows. Do we realize that it’s SPRING AGAIN?
Originally published in The Paper, March 1972.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1972_03.pdf, printed page 3.
