In the old days (late teens-early twenties), before MS, I so enjoyed Summer. The warmth of the sun on my face, the swimming parties, the cookouts with friends, the laughter of Kids, the barking of friendly dogs, the music, the dancing and late to bed, early to rise..

That's how I used to spend my Summer vacation...How about you?

I didn't enjoy the summer days in my teenage years. The heat bothered me and I had no energy during the warm months (now I know why!).

Now the summer nights - those were a blast!!

I didn't have vacations during those years...I had my first child at 19.

Before that, summer vacation meant spending a few weeks at my grandparents' house in southern Vermont. Sitting on the big rock in the back yard, writing poetry. Daydreaming, with my feet in the brook.

Listening to my grandmother talk on the phone with her friend Ruth about General Hospital. Listening to the Red Sox on the radio with Gramp. Getting the eggs. Picking fat blueberries from under the bird nets.

Walking over to the store for an ice cream cone. Poking around in the attic. Swimming at the Salmon Hole while my grandparents sat on a blanket watching me. Having slices of homemade bread and butter, and a big bowl of popcorn for supper while watching the King Family on black and white TV.

Watching deer under the apple tree from the bedroom that used to be my Aunt Mary's, and listening to rain on the metal roof of the old farmhouse. Sitting out on the porch (my grandmother called it the "piazza") watching the thunderstorms. Playing old-timey music on the piano and wheedling until my grandfather got out his clarinet and played along. Then coaxing my grandmother into sitting down at the piano, and spending an hour leaning my elbows on the dining room table, listening to them play.

I miss my Grandma and Grandpa.

When we were in NJ, we were over at my uncle's pool, and it was always a blast. But in OH, there was nothing to do. It was too muggy and boring. Once in a blue moon, lake erie or Cedar Point. Other wise, we just got in trouble.

I have more fun now that I'm old, to tell the truth.

As a child we'd spend several weeks at my Grandmother's tobacco farm in NC. I loved that place. I could spend the entire three weeks there and never once leave the farm. And I never got bored!!

I can remember picking tomatoes with her from her garden and having fresh tomato sandwiches for lunch. Good ole' white Sunbeam bread, mayonnaise and tomatoes. Fresh black pepper and a little salt. YUM!!

There were racks for drying the tobacco leaves lined up at the back of the house. My cousins and I would climb all over those racks. It wasn't anything elaborate but we'd spend hours out there.

On some evenings other family members would come over and we'd fry catfish they'd caught that same day. My Grandmother would make homemade coleslaw from cabbage she'd grown. She'd also make homemade hush puppies that were better than anything I've ever tasted.

I miss those summers so much. Her house didn't have A/C but she had a huge attic fan and kept all the windows open 24/7 with the attic fan going. I don't remember it ever being hot. If there was a thunderstorm we'd all go out to the screened in porch and sit out there and watch it. We'd eat homemade bread & butter pickles my Grandmother had made.

Such simple but fun times. Why can't life be like that today???

Camping! we used to camp a lot. We went to so many places, to show my children the country side, and this great American landscape. it is a cheap way to travel, and keeps you in touch with mother earth. From the Colorado landscapes to the Cape Cod shore lines, we saw it all. I had no issue with waiting in line, hot beaches, traffic or the crowds in stores.

Now? no no no! dont think so. Take it above 75 degrees, and I go blind and stupid. Crowded malls make me anxious and stimulus overload makes my head swirl and me shake. I cant/wont tolerate the baking in the sand that come with a trip to the beach, let alone the nasty crowds, the rude strangers, and the BS of tripping over trash to find a good spot.

Thank God I did all this when I was young, and before MS took a bite out of me. My children have such fond memories of vacations, and funtimes, and dont have memories of missing out on a single thing because mom didnt feel good.

This made me laugh 'cause my Grandmother would talk to her sister on the phone (they called it the "hotline" ) about their "stories". That's what they called the soap operas......"stories". I think they watched General Hospital, too.

My summers were spent milking cows, haying (handling bales of hay that weighed 2/3 of my weight, baling straw (liked that better as they weren't as heavy as the hay) cultivating, harvesting - you get the picture. And, of course the milking cows was twice a day and in the wintertime as well naturally. And feeding the cattle sileage and hay in the winter. Cleaning the barn winter and summer, slopping the hogs, feeding the chickens, gathering eggs, and all the rest.

No, I would not want to do that again.

Your summers sound very nice! During the day me and my sisters would sit home and watch tv (mostly the soaps), maybe go swimming but with the AC why bother. My parents both worked so we never went anywhere or did anything! Looking back that is just so sad!! If we did anything, it was never rememberable. I'll just read about all of your summers and enjoy your memories!!

Oh, how different times were back then. As a teenager, I worked at a pizza joint until 2-3:00am depending on how big a mess we made. Then, we went out for breakfast and played 4-board backgammon until 4:00 or 5:00am, slept for 2-3 hours and headed out. It was softball teams, car repairs, lake parties, weekends up north (parties while camping), concerts, car repairs, parties, softball, biking, water skiing, retread tires, canoeing, softball, bad golfing, go-karting, kite flying at the dunes, car repairs, river floating, whitewater canoeing, fishing, retread tires, hiking... man, we did it all and we did it all outdoors.

When I was littler, we had a traditional, annual schedule of 3-week sessions of swimming lessons right after school let out— from which, we went directly to the lake, then the road trip that took a bloody eternity every year (so spoiled!), then every waking moment on bikes and the lakes, then, "my mom's vacation" when my dad dropped us and Mom with the big tin can at the campground up north for two weeks. She let us run wild the whole time while she relaxed. Then, it was the coming down: shopping for school clothes— trying on hard shoes, wools, and polyesters in anticipation of cold weather. Hated it!

We woke at sunrise every day, played hard rain or shine, ate pockets-full of animal crackers and baloney on the run, slept over in each others' backyards, and always came home with green feet at dusk to the sounds of yelling mothers throughout the neighborhood.

Sometimes, we snuck out in the night and ran around the neighborhood in our nighties.