Jill's Journal: Summer on a dime

This morning, as I listened to the weatherman go on and on about the rising temperatures here in South Dakota, my mind wandered back to a much simpler time, the 1970’s. To stay cool, we certainly didn’t have all of the luxuries that we have today, namely central air.

Our three-bedroom rental home lacked the convenience that we take for granted today. We had a window air conditioner and a couple of fans that didn’t come close to cooling off the top floor. I remember one bout of hot weather had my dad toting our mattresses downstairs, turning our living and dining room into a makeshift “family slumber party.”

Obviously, the idea was to sleep in comfort. I just remember thinking how neat it was to rearrange the house.

On other occasions, dad would load us up in the family car, steer it to the local Dairy Queen for a cool treat, and then we cruised the countryside – the car’s AC at full blast – eating our ice cream cones and listening to the Minnesota Twins on the car’s AM radio.

As kids, we had other ways to keep our cool in the summertime. 

For starters, there was always the hose and the sprinkler, but that only lasted so long before Mom was peering out the backdoor and directing us to “shut it off.”

A dime also went a long way in helping a overcome the heat. 

Just a few blocks away was the Henslin home, and it was there that ice cream treats, popsicles and more could be had for a whopping dime. They had a freezer full and someone was always there to answer the doorbell for a quick sale.

A dime could also get you a ticket on the “dime bus” that took you to and from Kansas Lake a few miles out of town. The swimming beach there was always crowded with kids and moms that didn’t work. As for the bus, it was filled with hot, sweaty kids with inner tubes of all sizes in tow. It was always a welcome relief to part ways with a bus full of sweaty kids once when we arrived at the lake, but yet a cherished memory of growing up in the ‘70s.

Thursday nights was another need for a dime. That’s when the local indoor swimming pool was available for open swim. While it didn’t cool you off when you needed it on a hot summer afternoon, it was still pure pleasure jumping in on a Thursday evening.

My friend Trish and I went into business multiple times, stirring up pitchers of Kool-Aid and then getting the word out to the neighborhood kids, who came armed with pennies, a nickel or two, and even a dime from time to time.

The ‘70s was surely a magical time to grow up. We found simple ways to stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter. And sometimes, it only cost you a dime.