Monday was the first day of summer. My little town holds an annual event each summer solstice where we gather at the railroad at sunset to watch the setting sun descend between the tracks (weather permitting).
It became a community event just over 30 years ago because we needed something to show our town was unique. Looking northwest toward the tracks at sunset on the first day of summer was it.
So my wife and I made a trip into town to do what we have done many times over the years, to see something that we have seen many times over the years. That is how we ended the day.
It is more fun to tell how we started the day. Three grandchildren were dropped off by their mom on her way to work for us to watch today. That will be the Monday routine all summer until school starts.
Their ages are 2, 4 and 8. They are with us from early morning until mid-afternoon. We get to feed, entertain and, best of all, listen to them.
I filled the wading pool with water on a 90-degree Sunday afternoon so it would be warm by Monday morning as they have been bringing their swim suits. They changed into their suits as soon as they arrived and then learned the water was still on the cool side.
So Grandpa filled a wastebasket with hot water four times and added that to the pool. Isn't that what grandpas are for?
The weather was ideal, so we did many things outside. I have an aversion to kids looking into screens be it television, video game or phone. The concrete apron in front of the garage was the playground with blowing bubbles, rides on Grandma's scooter from when she was having trouble walking, followed by lunch in the garage, which everyone called a picnic.
The ice cream truck made a convenient stop just before noon, which made planning the noon menu easier.
After the meal my 2-year-old granddaughter and I have a routine that leads up to her nap. I get in my recliner chair, she sits in my lap, I raise the foot rest, and she settles in the space between my legs with her head on my stomach while holding her blanket.
She falls asleep almost immediately and I fall asleep about 15 minutes later. I am not sure who enjoys it more.
My nap lasts about an hour and she will sleep another two hours snuggled between my legs, resting on my stomach.
Three hours in a chair with a sleeping child makes one limit their intake of fluids during the noon meal to avoid any uncomfortability during those three hours.
When nap time is done, Mom arrives and things are packed up and they head down the road to their next stop.
That was how the first day of summer went.
Next year on the first day of summer, we will once again drive to the railroad tracks just before sunset to see what we have seen in previous years (weather permit-ting).
But for many Mondays for the rest of this summer, our visitors will return again for the day and we will listen to them tell us what they want us to know, play, laugh and squabble.
And for a few hours after lunch, I will be in my recliner with a sleeping granddaughter.
Everything will change once school starts, but for the rest of the summer we will have a fun day every Monday. I am not sure who enjoys it more.
Clayton Rye is a farmer from Hanlontown, Iowa. He can be contacted by email at crye@wctatel.net.