52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History - Summer

Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer

1940ish George Tullis, Margaret Troyer, Hays Post

Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer

Those days of soda and pretzels and beer

Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer

Dust off the sun and moon and sing a song of cheer

Just fill your basket full of sandwiches and weenies

Then lock the house up, now you're set

And on the beach you'll see the girls in their bikinis

As cute as ever but they never get 'em wet

Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer

Those days of soda and pretzels and beer

Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer

You'll wish that summer could always be here

Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer

Those days of soda and pretzels and beer

Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer

Dust off the sun and moon and sing a song of cheer

Don't hafta tell a girl and fella about a drive-in

Or some romantic moon it seems

Right from the moment that those lovers start arrivin'

You'll see more kissin' in the cars than on the screen

Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summe

Those days of soda and pretzels and beer

Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer

You'll wish that summer could always be here

You'll wish that summer could always be here

You'll wish that summer could always be here

Written by: Charles Tobias; 

Music by: Hans Carste; 

Sang by: Nat King Cole

#6 1963

Mary Post Warren

copyright 2011, all rights reserved

Summer vs. Spring

The first full day of Summer, I love it! Being California born and raised and having lived there (for 50 years), and raising our family there, I had really come to appreciate the summers....easy days, kids were home from school, a lot of running them around to dance lessons, soccer practice, baseball games, trips to the beach, camping...days long gone, but still with me in my heart. California had almost perfect weather - if you'd leave out the earthquakes and the high prices I'd say it's one of the most perfect places to live.

After retirement we moved to Arizona, in the early '90s where youngest son was in college, then we moved again in the late '90s for a stint in Las Vegas, and now we're back in Arizona. Life is good - we are fairly close to 2 of the kids, and within driving distance of son #1.  Our 'adopted' son lives in Wisconsin and thus we seldom see him but do keep in touch.

Summer in Arizona brings beautiful sunsets, awesome desert landscape, and wild and crazy heat and rain.  The heat can be brutal and mix that with the monsoons you've got a double whammy.  It was 109 today, tomorrow is 113.....fortunately the 'dew point' is down at only 21% (it needs to be at 55% to bring on the monsoons), so it's a dry heat for the time being. 

Spring brings flowers, home grown vegetables, and 80 degree weather.  Summer brings HOT (over 100+), dead plants, and lots of time on my hands. 

Summer is GREAT but I think I like Spring best in these autumn days of my life.

Mary Post Warren

copyright 2011, all rights reserved

Those Dog Days of Summer

Add caption 1947 Jimmy, Martha, Mary Post





Summertime! One has to love this time of the year...the days are long, the weather is warmer, the kids are out of school, and vacation is on the horizon. As we get further and further into the summer and the weather heats up from just warm to HOT we try to think of ways to keep ourselves cooled down.  The "Dog Days of Summer" have arrived!  This is usually the hottest, steamiest days of summer.  The Old Farmer's Almanac lists the traditional timing of the Dog Days as the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending August 11.

What did you do to keep cool during these Dog Days.  As a child my Dog Days were filled with sprinkler time with my brothers and sisters. We also went to Manchester public pool in L.A. to cool off. Our kids spent their time much the same way either in sprinklers, with hoses, or in blow up pools with friends and/or relatives.  Many times we'd take off for the beach.  We only lived about 5 miles from the ocean so it was easy to drive down there - not as as easy to pack all the stuff, lunch and kids and friends but well worth the effort!

Mary Post Warren

© copyright 2010, all rights reserved

Cookies Anyone?

Yesterday, Friday May 21, 2010, was the first day this year that Phoenix broke the 100F degree mark.  Typically Phoenix manages to hit the 100 mark earlier in the month of May... I am sort of hoping a late show will mean a cooler than normal summer - "dream on!" I'm told.  Normally I don't mind the heat until it gets over 110F but then it can be brutal - especially when we get the monsoons and it's pouring rain and hotter than hades (well maybe not 'hotter than' but close to it!)

Recently I found this recipe idea in a U.S. News and World Report (within an article titled '10 Ways to Reduce Your Summer Utility Bills' - Maura Judkis and Kimberly Palmer):

Try baking cookies on your car--yes, your car. Nicole Weston of Baking Bites developed a method of baking chocolate cookies with the heat that collects inside cars on steamy days. She suggests parking in the sun, using a thermometer to help monitor the temperature, and protecting your dashboard by putting a barrier between it and the baking sheet. (It should be at least 95 degrees outside and the baking process takes around two and a half hours.)

A great way to have homemade cookies in the dead heat of the summer!  I haven't tried it yet...but trust me I will soon.  I'm not even sure I will have to leave them in the car for 2.5 hours!

Mary Post Warren

© copyright 2010, all rights reserved