More Summer Memories

When I think of the summers of my childhood, the long evenings after dinner come to mind. There was something magical about that time of day.

The sun began to loosen its steamy grip on the earth as it slowly became a large orange ball in the western sky. Birds sang their goodnight songs and twittered sleepily from the trees. A chorus of cicada's wound down to silence as our own voices lowered in respect for the gathering darkness.

We put away our bikes and jump ropes and gathered on someones front lawn to discuss our options. Would we play freeze tag? Are there enough kids to get a game of hide and seek organized? Perhaps we will play Red Rover, or better yet, let's catch fireflies.

Everyone scattered and screen doors slammed as we tore through the house to ask Mom for an empty glass jar. We grabbed a big nail and hammer and punched holes in the lid. Then we met up again with the other kids and sat to wait for darkness to fall, and the fireflies to appear.

Fireflies are slow moving, so it is easy to catch one in your cupped hands. It was fun to peek through your fingers and watch the little bug light up your clasped hands.

Into the jar they went: one, two, three and sometimes many more until the whole jar was bright with twinkling lights. And then the sound we all dreaded- Mom's voice calling from the screen door to come inside. With great reluctance, we slowly open our jars to release the fireflies back into the night sky.