Bloomfield Summer
It's a balmy, summer afternoon, 82 degrees, with a light breeze. The sound of a neighbor's lawn mower wafts in through my open window. I can hear a dove cooing nearby. As I look out my kitchen window, I can see dozens of gorgeous hollyhocks, blooming against the fence in several dazzling shades of pink, with a few calming white blossoms mixed in here and there. And the air smells--summery, just like summer should smell, like freshly mowed grass and sweetly scented roses, with just a hint of mower exhaust thrown in for good measure.
Days like this remind me of those lazy summer days we spent in Bloomfield with Grandma and Grandpa Wegner. Often, Dan and I, and Laura, too, when she was old enough, would stay for the week that Vacation Bible School was in session at First Trinity Lutheran Church, just a short block's walk up the hill from Grandma's house. I suppose that this morning's VBS here in Gering, at Calvary Memorial Church, has triggered some memories of long ago summers that always included Bible School.
Just like summer here in Gering, summers in Bloomfield were usually a little cooler and much less humid than summer in Fairbury. And the doves in Grandma and Grandpa's neighborhood cooed all day long, all summer long, just as the doves do here, in my Gering neighborhood. The sound of those cooing doves makes me feel content and comfortable all over again.
Summer in Bloomfield meant afternoons at the city pool, followed by the smell of Grandma's freshly baked bread, and a slice of warm coffee cake, spread with chunks of real butter, in Grandma's cozy kitchen.
Or, if impending rain threatened to spoil our plans, Grandma would take us to the Bloomfield Public Library and let us check out as many books as we wanted, on her card. Then, we would go back to the house and curl up on the couch, or lounge in a chair on the front porch, to read the afternoon away to the accompaniment of low, rumbling thunder in the distance.
Some days, Grandma arranged for play dates with other kids who were just the same age as Dan and me. And occasionally, summer play dates turned into friendships that spanned the years. So, summer after summer, I went swimming with Daphne or Carole, and joined Carole at her 4H meetings. Or, I would walk the half mile or so to Carole's house, just outside of town, and we would spend an afternoon baking cookies or making hollyhock dolls by the dozen.
I need to raid Mom's recipe box to see if I can find that coffee cake recipe. I really miss Grandma's coffee cake.
Days like this remind me of those lazy summer days we spent in Bloomfield with Grandma and Grandpa Wegner. Often, Dan and I, and Laura, too, when she was old enough, would stay for the week that Vacation Bible School was in session at First Trinity Lutheran Church, just a short block's walk up the hill from Grandma's house. I suppose that this morning's VBS here in Gering, at Calvary Memorial Church, has triggered some memories of long ago summers that always included Bible School.
Just like summer here in Gering, summers in Bloomfield were usually a little cooler and much less humid than summer in Fairbury. And the doves in Grandma and Grandpa's neighborhood cooed all day long, all summer long, just as the doves do here, in my Gering neighborhood. The sound of those cooing doves makes me feel content and comfortable all over again.
Summer in Bloomfield meant afternoons at the city pool, followed by the smell of Grandma's freshly baked bread, and a slice of warm coffee cake, spread with chunks of real butter, in Grandma's cozy kitchen.
Or, if impending rain threatened to spoil our plans, Grandma would take us to the Bloomfield Public Library and let us check out as many books as we wanted, on her card. Then, we would go back to the house and curl up on the couch, or lounge in a chair on the front porch, to read the afternoon away to the accompaniment of low, rumbling thunder in the distance.
Some days, Grandma arranged for play dates with other kids who were just the same age as Dan and me. And occasionally, summer play dates turned into friendships that spanned the years. So, summer after summer, I went swimming with Daphne or Carole, and joined Carole at her 4H meetings. Or, I would walk the half mile or so to Carole's house, just outside of town, and we would spend an afternoon baking cookies or making hollyhock dolls by the dozen.
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| This year, my hollyhocks would make some amazing dolls! |
I am sure those Bloomfield days seemed special because of the time we spent with Grandma and Grandpa, without our parents, who were undoubtedly working hard in the hotel in Fairbury. But, even more than that, those days in Bloomfield gave us some experiences we just couldn't replicate at home, living in an apartment. In Fairbury, we always attended Vacation Bible School at our church, and swam in the city pool several times a week, and checked out dozens of books from the library. But at home, there was no yard to mow, no front porch to lounge on, no hollyhock dolls, and no coffee cake.
I need to raid Mom's recipe box to see if I can find that coffee cake recipe. I really miss Grandma's coffee cake.
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