Hot Summer Nights

This hot weather reminds me of the days of sitting on the front porch during steamy thunderstorms. Our front porch was a wraparound version with a swing. When a storm was coming you could smell the ozone in the air and almost taste the rain. I would sit on the swing reading books from the bookmobile...and I still remember what authors I liked and read.....George Orwell, Jack Keroac, I even read War and Peace on that swing. When the rain would come pelting down with a vengence, it was lovely to be outside watching the gutters become rivers and enjoying the free "high' that ozone gives human beings.
    Sometimes if it was really hot outside we would sleep on the porch. The only annoyance were mosquitos and the street lights. As a teen there were always gatherings on the front porch. Everyone adored my sweet mother and were polite and kind to her.
   As I got a little older, summer nights were for stealing watermelons or corn, going out to the "country" to build a fire and roast the ears for good eating...then of course drinking lots of beers. To this day, I don't drink beer because I don't like the taste of it now that I am old enough to buy it. Once in awhile I would go watch the drag races on country road with straight-aways.
   Summer.....the sound of crickets, the neighbors talking on their porches....just a good old Woodsdale tradition. Were we not the luckiest kids in the world?