The Sweet Sounds And Smells Of Summer

It only took one whiff of a honeysuckle bush wafting in the air as I drove down I-95 to tickle my senses and bring flashbacks of summer days gone by.

Oh, the sweet sounds and smells of summer.

When I was about seven years old, my father taught me how to ride a two-wheel bicycle in the alley behind our house. From that day forward I spent many summer days riding my bike up and down that alley between St. Fabian Lane and St. Gregory Drive. 

About 20 houses from where we lived was a honeysuckle bush that hung over and appeared to cover the entire back fence of that house.

One summer day a kid about my age showed me how to pluck the flower from the honeysuckle bush and suck the sweet nectar from that little flower. I haven’t done that in over 45 years, but that memory has lasted a lifetime.

Back in the1960s, at least in my house, we didn’t have air conditioning. But we did have two fans in our windows that drew the air out of the house: one upstairs in a bedroom and one in the living room.  Since the house wasn’t closed up, this meant the sounds and smells of summer would linger on for what seemed forever. 

These days, before everyone closes up their houses due to the extreme heat of summer, many of us still keep our windows open welcoming spring and summer into our homes happily  letting the proverbial stench of winter drift away. 

Summer came too early this year, but a summer rain which rolled in from the north brought cooler weather which has allowed many of us to open the windows again.

The summer rain hitting the earth watering all that is good about life can be a heavenly smell. The smell while the hose slowly waters the garden is pretty nice, too.

Other smells that remind us that summer is approaching is the whiff of a lilac bush blooming in the spring. Oh, and that wonderful scent of the first time someone cuts their grass. Then before you know it, that first barbeque is teasing your taste buds from the neighbor’s grill.  

Summertime also brings some of the sweetest sounds life can offer.

Have you ever sat quietly in your house ­­– or outside – and listened to the chirping conversation of the birds? It’s one of the greatest gifts of nature.

Before long, the kids are outside laughing and playing. This is one of the most joyful, timeless sounds you’ll ever hear. And the excitement in their voices when they suddenly hear the ice cream truck approaching is priceless.

There is one sound you don’t hear any more that I heard so often in that same alley growing up – the calls of the hucksters selling their wares. Sometimes Dad would buy a watermelon from the man following the horse-drawn wagon. Mom would slice up that watermelon, hand each of us a half slice and we’d sit outside eating it down to the green rind with the sweet watermelon juice running down our arms telling each other to be careful not to swallow a seed because a watermelon would grow in your stomach.  Remember that tall tale?

Not to worry, though, because we’d be sure to spit out the seeds and, a quick wash and drink from the outside garden hose cured just about everything that ailed a kid.

When I became a teen I knew the sound of every friend’s gate within earshot as the latch closed. That was an exciting sound. It usually meant there would be someone outside to talk to. If allowed, I’d head out on the front step to sit and wait patiently to see if a friend would head in my direction.

As the long summer day came to a close and after a bath at night, the gentle humming of the fans helped drum out any negative sounds that could scare any kid in the middle of the night.

I imagine as kids we probably didn’t think we paid much attention to all those little sounds and smells around us, but I have a feeling many of us still recall those cherished memories of summers gone by.