Enjoying these leisurely Summer days

BY CLAIRE LYNCH

Ever since I was a little girl I’ve enjoyed kicking back during the summer months. For many people school is out and for the adults, it’s vacation time. They recharge their batteries and many of my fondest childhood memories are making the most of the things I like to do - taking hikes, visiting faraway lands and enjoying long, leisurely picnics. Here are some other things I have always relished and liked about summer.

A Great Strawberry Shortcake

With summer’s arrival I decided to get busy in the kitchen and make some strawberry shortcake for a family party. It was my sister, Susan’s, birthday so I wanted to make something she would like. I’m not a big cook or baker so I asked my friend, Kelly, to show me the best way to do things. After picking up a quart of strawberries from a local produce market I washed, sliced and drained them on the cutting board. Choosing the tools and ingredients I needed, Kelly suggested making a strawberry shortcake cake rather than place the strawberries into sponge cups. Smiling, I poured a box of storebought vanilla cake mix into the bowl. Adding two eggs, some water and oil, I stirred it all around. Tossing one cup of strawberries into the bowl, I stirred all the ingredients and poured the mix into a 9 x 12-inch Pyrex baking pan.

My oven was preheated to 350 degrees. Placing the pan into the oven and removing it 25 minutes later, I put a toothpick into the middle of the cake and made sure it came out clean. That was the sign of a baked cake. It was clean so I placed the Pyrex dish on a cooling rack to cool. That night for dessert we each had a slice of the delicious strawberry shortcake cake. Some people added strawberries on top and others had enough strawberries in their slice. We all added dollops of whipped cream on top and wishing Susan a very Happy Birthday, we dug in. Sitting around the dining room table enjoying our dessert I couldn’t resist telling them some trivia because we definitely have some trivia buffs in my family. It was a long time ago - in 1588 - that the first documented strawberry shortcake recipe appeared in a British cookbook. It became even more popular when William Shakespeare named one of his characters in “The Merry Wives of Windsor” Alice Shortcake.

Time Out for Visiting

For as long as I can remember my family took time in the summer to visit relatives we hadn’t seen recently. Summer months were less stressful so we’d visit them or they would come to my house to visit. My aunts, uncles, cousins and godparents would visit at various times. Sometimes we’d have a family reunion and seeing so many people together was exciting but even more than that I enjoyed having company over in small groups when we could spend hours at a time sharing a meal and hanging out. I still think that’s what summer is for - enjoying each other’s company. Since school was out and my father usually took some vacation time, summer was good for having small, spontaneous get-togethers.

Last year my niece, Kylie, surprised me on my birthday by driving from Virginia to visit me on my birthday and to spend a week with her parents. She has three young children and I was even more surprised when Kylie and her husband, Josh, drove to my place and six of my nieces and nephews emerged from her SUV. They ranged in age from 14 to three years old: Mary, Chuck, Patrick, Elle, Nick and Alexa. After the two adults got out of the car, each one of the kids spilled out and I thought, “Wow! Not just three but six kids!” We had a terrific visit and had a chance to catch up with each other. Last year playing Uno, Blank Slate the board game and Quirky Circuits with Kylie, Josh and company for hours on end was fun. The kids would have kept playing except dinner time arrived so we had to put all of our games away for another time. I’ve got 18 nieces and nephews altogether who live in different states so I cherish our visits.

Sudden Summer Storms

Some friends dislike summer thunderstorms. They turn up their noses and say that many afternoon thunderstorms have ruined their outdoor plans for picnics and barbecues. They run for cover to be safe and away from all of that lightning but I say I’ll take a summer thunderstorm any day of the week. I like it when the sky gets all dark and ominous, when in the distance I hear the first sounds of thunder. As the storm approaches things get even eerier. Bolts of lightning appear followed by even louder thunder. I count the seconds between when I first see the lightning and when I hear the thunder sound. When the time shortens I know the storm is getting closer. I head for the comfort of my couch and stay away from the windows. The ears of my cat, Bette Davis, perk up at the first sounds of thunder. She knows something is amiss and jumps on the couch next to me or dives under the closest bed to wait out the storm. Sometimes I sit in the wooden rocking chair on my porch and along with my relatives, we grab some iced cold glasses of iced tea and watch the summer lightning light up the sky whether it’s daytime or nighttime. Farmers welcome the rain these storms bring - the land and foliage get dry and we need the water. I don’t mind having to reschedule any planned picnics or barbecues because watching Mother Nature take over my world and magically light it up with its bolts of lightning and rumbles of thunder is something that always takes me by surprise.