Start of Summer

When I was young I always felt that Summer didn't really start until after July 4th. School used to get out around June 24th, but Summer didn't really kick in until the fireworks were done.

July was always that wide open month when you felt like summer would last forever. September seemed like a century away. So many long, free, hot days to spend doing whatever we wanted.

Nothing made a summer day complete like a visit from the Ice Cream Man. Ours was named Andy. His truck was a mint green color. Andy used to go through my cousins' neighborhoods on the other side of town for a few years before he came to my neck of the woods. Man, was I jealous.

When Andy finally paid our street some mind it was like the Pope had showed up. You all know the Eddie Murphy routine...

And every time he came around and we ran to him with our fists tightly clenched around our dollar bills that our grandfather had slipped us my mother would say the same thing: "Don't think you're doing this everyday!"

May your summer be filled with as much excitement as the Ice Cream Man used to bring me.