Pam Shensky Berry Tales

I am trying really hard to hold on to these last days of summer vacation, but they seem to be slipping into August with lightning speed and lack of concern.

The Dog Days are here until the middle of August and the Thunder Moon rose as it should have on the 18th and it is hot, really hot.

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It seems just yesterday that I could smell the first fragrances of summer and welcomed the warm sun and the long shadows it made. It felt good knowing I had the whole summer laid out before me to do what I needed to do, and more importantly, what I wanted to do. I held ideas of a summer garden with more produce than I needed, afternoon naps that would break the long day stretched out before me, maybe a short visit to the beach, homemade ice cream and visits to catch up with friends and family; it all seemed so attainable, but here it is the end of July and not all has been done, but what has been checked off of my summer list was gratifying.

I suppose there will be another such list next summer and it will probably look similar to this one.

I have noticed the dragon flies are huge by summer’s end. They are filled out and quite adult looking. They take flight in what is left of my garden like Kamikazes. I remember not long ago in May when summer had not even begun, they were much smaller and certainly more timid. They would fly away so suddenly whenever approached, and I wondered how I ever had the cleverness to catch so many of them as a child. I wondered if children still do catch “mosquito hawks.”

I am finishing my summer with okra from my garden and pears from my trees. I “improved” my okra crop with a bushel from the Minvielle’s farm near the bridge in Morbiham. I wanted to have a large batch of it at one time to smother and freeze for all the gumbos this winter. My faithful pear trees are once again producing bushels of fruit. I plan to use my new dehydrator for some of this bumper crop. Gardening is a lot of glorious work.

Soon the school bells will ring and students and teachers will be back in the classrooms and another school year will unfold.

The Friday night lights will come on in stadiums everywhere, new shoes will cause blisters, tears will fall when little ones say goodbye to moms, brand new pencils will need sharpening and yellow school buses will dominate the early morning commute; school year 2008-09 is knocking at our backdoor.

There are so many new schools in our town now. I am trying very hard to remember the names of all of these older schools, names that were actual people; North Street was Susan Terrell, North Lewis was Elizabeth Forgey, Bank Street was Amanda Smith, Hopkins was Theda Ewing, Center Street was Hilda Roberts, Westgate was Jonas Henderson High and Catholic High was named after St. Peter (thanks Jackie, Ronnie, Mary Faye, and Mrs. Waguespack for helping with these) and everyone inside had a personal relationship with Dick, Jane, Sally, Puff and Spot!  

To quote Dylan, “The times they are a – changin’.”

PAM SHENSKY is the mother of five and a teacher at New Iberia Senior High.