The sound of the mower is heard in our land. Heat is breaking. Birds are singing. The evening beckons. Peace grows in a settled mind. There is no time like the present to enjoy the wonders of summer. Listening for the still, small voice of God. It is a constant presence. The voice says ‘Be careful’ and we continue as if we did not hear. Then the voice says ‘Rest’ when we are anxious. ‘Time to go home,’ the voice says when we have lingered too long.

The drive-in was fun. A summertime treat. We sat in the car and watched our community around us. Happy people with happy kids. Others who seemed troubled and were looking for answers. Some who rode to the outdoor theatre in the trunk of the car. As darkness fell, trunks popped open all over the grounds. The speakers were made of iron. They hung on the window of your vehicle. If you wanted to keep the mosquitoes out of your automobile, you might try bringing the entire speaker into the passenger seat, but the cord to it prohibited the complete closing of the window. If you were hungry or thirsty, you had to leave the car confines and walk to the concession building. The concession building had a nightclub feel. There was a poster of the Pink Panther on the wall, and you could purchase a slice of pizza if you dared. Kids were sitting in front of the gigantic screen at picnic tables, and many stayed for the entire movie. You could see the screen from Grandma A’s front porch. Sometimes we just sat in the big porch chairs and pretended we could hear the dialogue of the flick being projected. Most Drive-In nights were still very hot, and most cars did not have air conditioners. You rolled the car window down and applied Off to your skin, and swatted bugs, which was a losing battle.

A week before the 4th of July, it was time for a young man’s fancy to turn to sparklers and firecrackers. The news on the streets of Eldorado was that Dad had been able to obtain illegal firecrackers. This required a clandestine trip to Missouri. Our Illinois Moms thought we would shoot our eyes out. If you had firecrackers, you were the talk of the town. It ranked up there with Marlboro Cigarettes or Charles Denby Cigars. Kids would pay simply to be near where the firecrackers were being lit and cavalierly thrown. Pitching pennies might suffice for unapproved excitement during school days, but paled in comparison to illegal firecrackers at the 4th. The sound of them made the neighborhood nervous. We were constantly looking over our shoulders for the police. Certainly, they must have extra officers on duty for the night of wicked abandon.

Starlight Drive-In showed movies you couldn’t see at home on the three channels available with either rabbit ears or a roof antenna. These movies were not on display at the Orpheum Theatre. You could not marvel at the 50 Foot Woman in a safe environment. You had to see her on the backstreet of Theatre…the Drive In.

It seemed everyone liked Dilly Bars at the Dairy Queen. The Dairy Queen in Eldorado was not the provider of Brazier Burgers since it had only ice cream-type offerings. Accept the occasional pack of Marlboros on the 4th of July. A great summertime sport was for those high school students who had a car to drive them slowly down the streets of Eldorado and honk and wave as they ate their Dilly Bars.

Lightning Bugs are fun. Have you ever captured lightning in a bottle? Then you have captured a lightning bug. We kids knew we were almost adults when we stayed out after dark and captured lightning bugs in a bottle while eating Dilly Bars.