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Nostalgia

2010-07-01 12:50:00

Remember...

Answer: Only one of those folks that keep track of those kinds of things could answer for sure, but they sure seemed hotter back then. Even when I was a kid, the older folks always talked about August being the hottest and driest month of the year. As I think about those days, a lot of random thoughts come to mind. One of the first is the old water hand pump. I wonder how many remember them. We would pump and pump until we reached the coolest water. Many times we would have to prime the pump to get water to the top. Many homes had hand pumps over the sink in the kitchen. Do you remember the old cars going down the street with the radiator steaming because the water was low or the engine was bad and had overheated? Remember how hot the cap was on top of the radiator when you tried to take it off to fill the unit? Moms and Dads would give “group baths” with the water hose as the kids would run through the water while they watered the lawn or individual plants and bushes. The funeral homes received a lot of advertising by placing handheld fans that were mounted on an ice cream paddle with their name on it in large print. They placed them in public places like churches and auditoriums of all kinds. Didn’t it feel good to have your window up on summer nights and feel the night air blow on you as you slept…when there was some? I think it’s neat when one of our local weather forecasters, Dave Freeman, says, “It will be good sleeping weather tonight.” This statement originated years ago from the window being up, or sleeping out on the front porch. Do you remember the ice cold watermelons and how good they tasted at home or in restaurants, or in the watermelon gardens where they grew them? I remember one water melon garden on North Broadway and one on South Broadway. There were wooden tables. You could buy it buy the slice and eat them right there, outside on those wooden tables. Another thought I have is how we used to go the park with the family or a special friend, spread out a cloth or blanket on the ground, and have a picnic. You might remember going to Riverside Park, Linwood Park, Oak Park, Santa Fe Lake and Lake Afton. I remember those rides in the car. We would get the entire family in the car, roll down all the windows and feel that breeze flow past us as we rolled down the road. Do you remember the ’59 Lincoln? They even had an electric power window in the back that went up and down. It was a “must” to have the little air vent just under the windshield wide open, and in some cars…to have the windshield cranked wide open. Then, of course, going swimming at the Municipal pool or other city pools or maybe even in a river or a creek…was always special. The point was to dress cool, sometimes barefooted, and do anything to keep as cool as you made your way through August, the hottest month of the year. Be safe and stay cool. Faye Graves, a native Wichitan, who ‘attended school at Friends, Wichita State and concluding at Midwestern Theological Seminary. He has been active in media for many years with Channel 12, KIRL, KFDI, KOOO AM & FM (Omaha), KFRM & KICT 95, as an owner, manager, producer, director and announcer. He has served as President of the Haysville Board of Education. He has also served on several national boards of the Southern Baptist Convention. Faye has served as Executive Pastor and Director of Administration and Education at Immanuel Baptist Church of Wichita. You may contact Faye by e-mail fayegraves@sbcglobal.net or by phone at (316) 524-3906.