What We Love About Summer

We’re taking the week off. Here’s a post from summer 2019.

What Memorial Day is All About

And now, for the Fun Stuff Back By Popular Demand

Though we may live in different parts of the United States we wanted to share with you what we love and enjoy about summer from the prairies of Minnesota to the seas of Georgia!  We hope everyone is looking forward to warmer weather!

What do you like best about summer?

Mandy: As a child growing up on a family dairy farm, summers weren’t really that great. If we weren’t in school, we were working on the farm. Some of the things we did were, Picking up rocks, baling hay, managing two large gardens. I did enjoy sitting on the porch snapping peas with Grandma though. (In retrospect, summers were awesome.) My friends all thought I had the life and now I wish I could have raised my kids on the farm. What I did enjoy were cattle shows and church camp. Wonderful memories were built at these places. If you are interested, check out my Memoirs blog posts,

• Camping Might Just Save Your Soul,
• Play is the Work of Childhood,

Now the seasons pretty much run together and summers in Savannah are pretty hot. I try to stay home and cool. I’ll tell you what my kids love to do though … The Beach. Here’s a post after we rented a beach house for a week. For me, I much prefer the fall. 🙂

Michele:  What I like best about summer is the ability to be outside and enjoy the sights and sounds of birds, green prairie, crickets, frogs, the Blue Heron in the creek, kittens playing in the barn, gardening. Go walking, biking, having campfires, late-night patio star gazing… ahhhhhh!

What is your favorite childhood memory about summer?

Michele: My favorite childhood memories of summer are the Friesland Band Concert and Pie Social.  Every Tuesday night.  Pie, ice cream and the grocery store was open.  Plus Trotz’s had their sno-cones and popcorn that they sold out of their garage! YUMMY

Mandy:  Ah yes! After my family moved to Wisconsin, we attended The Friesland Band Concert every Tuesday night also Those really were the days. I don’t remember sno-cones but someone sold cotton candy. Our 4-H club sold pie and ice cream on one of those Tuesdays.  And, don’t tell anyone, it was where I got my first kiss. 🙂 Also, July fourth was a really big deal with fireworks behind the church.

The early years in Ohio, were just plain good, running and playing on the farm, even if we did have to do chores. I always loved attending family camp. The girls got to go and stay all week. We “helped” Mom run the bookstore at camp. Dad and the boys, went back and forth to milk the cows and come to camp for as many services as they were able. Those were the days for me, especially since that is where I gave my heart and life to Christ.

My favorite summer was made ironically because of a tragedy. In February of 1970, we had a barn fire. The cattle were saved but the barn was a total loss. That summer the Amish came and built the barns back. You’ll find my story on my memoirs blog, Raised in a Barn, My  Most Unforgettable Summer.

What family traditions do you have during the summer?

Mandy: Memorial Day was always the day we headed to my father’s original home of George’s Run, Ohio to the annual Hukill Family reunion. (my great great grandmother & her siblings started this way back.) Though one of us kids usually got sick riding up and down the hilly roads, once we arrived we had a wonderful time with cousins, aunts and uncles, and my great grandmother on Aunt Julia’s farm. My great Aunt Mildred, made the most delicious “dumplings” though they aren’t anything like what we call dumplings down here in the south. I sure wish I knew how to make them. And there was always ice cream cones. Yummy! Here’s a post on my memoirs blog on How to Spend Memorial Day

I love all the festivals every little small town seems to have. I think you could probably find one every summer weekend if you tried. Let’s see, in Georgia, there’s

• Valdosta Azalea Festival
• The Cotton Pick’n Festival
• The Rattlesnake & Wildlife Festival in Claxton
• The Swampfest in Waycross
• The Rose Festival in Thomasville
• The Pirates Festival on Tybee Island, Savannah
• Buggy Days in Barnesville
• and many more

In Wisconsin, I enjoyed the Korn Kanival in Randolph, WI and the Watermelon Festival in Pardeeville, WI. (Yes, you read that right – Pardeeville – Founded by some guy named Pardee). I already mentioned the family reunion on Memorial Day above which still happens today but they meet at the church nearby.

All the greats have gone on to heaven, but it’s good to see the cousins again. And that Korn Karnival happens on Labor Day Weekend.

They would steam the corn in the shucks at one of the canning factories and bring it by the truckload to the park. Then dump it out on a tarp on the ground. Peel back the shucks and dip it in melted butter. Oh, my goodness, it’s to die for.

Michele:  Both, Brad and my families are not big on traditions/getting together, so we pretty much just float and see what the day brings us.  We work on different projects and then cookout.

What are some favorite food and drinks in the summer?

Mandy: I always enjoy grilling out in the summer. (We do it all year in Georgia) Shaved Ice and lemonade can really hit the spot. As a kid, I would take a rootbeer float any time it was offered. And on that note – homemade ice cream – my favorite! As you have figured out by now, I am a big fan of ice cream. I got that gene from my dad! 🙂

Michele: I love to make sun tea, do lots of grilling of foods, smoking chicken wings, eating on the patio.  Ice cream is a favorite, but I enjoy ice cream all year around.

What’s your favorite Memorial Day or Labor Day?

Mandy: They are both good days just to hang out with family. I love when the kids come over and we grill steaks, make homemade ice cream and play board games. There is nothing better than hearing the laughter of my children around the table. Sublime.

And don’t forget the Fourth of July. We still have the same format except we add in the fireworks.

.. and our oldest son’s birthday!

Michele: I like Labor Day best… celebrating the end of summer, tomatoes coming out of the garden, our good friends usually spend the weekend, and it means FALL is on its way!

Finally, any special events or trips in your summer 2019?

Mandy: No plans really. We’ll be here in Savannah, Georgia. We live just outside of Savannah, in Pooler, near the airport and right at the intersection of I16 and I95 so if you are headed to Florida, please stop in or give us a call and we will meet you at any of the hundreds of restaurants or the Tanger Mall.

2020 Update, we moved closer into the city in the Georgetown area of town. Still not far off of I-95

Or just come to Savannah. We’ll take you on a tour of the historic district. Savannah has quite a history. I learn something new every time we take the tour. After that, we can spend a day at Tybee Island and enjoy a quiet day at the beach.

Sorry, the beaches are closed this COVID summer. 🙁

I don’t have an extra bedroom; however, AirBNB’s are available nearby… even one right in our community. A whole condo, all to yourself. And a community pool. My roommate from my single days is coming this week! When are you coming?

Michele: No special plans for summer trips.  We will be finishing up our barn project, installing new doors, stain, and varnish… and don’t forget the trim work… it never ends when you own a house.

Well, folks, that’s about it for now.

We would love to know what you love about summer and what plans you have. Please leave a comment below.

Here’s a thought: leave us questions to answer in our fall edition of About Us.

Mandy & Michele

Ecclesiastes 4:9 & 10 says Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.

That is why my we, Mandy and Michele, have decided to join together to hold each other up and at the same time, we hope that you are lifted up as well. We will share about chronic pain issues and raising children with ADHD, Things we’ve learned about leaving a legacy, and then some fun and laughter along the way as well.

We will be sharing about how God helps us through the worst of trials and the best of days. We hope that you will sign up for our newsletter.

www.mandyandmichele.com