Now & Then, 06/04/2026

While growing up in the late 40’s and 50’s, I lived in a farmhouse in Marion. In the summer, our house got pretty uncomfortable at times.
We did not have air conditioning. We did have a black metal fan. The downstairs bedrooms had screens. We also had a screen door. There were nights when we couldn’t sleep upstairs; it was just too hot.
I always looked forward to the 4th of July. It was a day when we always made homemade ice cream. We had a few cows that provided the cream. Dad would purchase a few bags of ice. We had a hand-crank ice cream machine.
I always had to take my turn churning the cream. When it was ready to eat, we enjoyed it in half of a cantaloupe. It was such a treat!
During the 50’s flies were everywhere. During those days, insecticides were not used as much as they are today. Our screen door would often be filled with flies. Mother disliked them so much. She tried her best to keep them from getting near the table while we ate.
Mother hung up sticky fly strips. I always thought they were so ugly hanging full of flies, but they did the job. Hubby commented, “ The flies were terrible. Dad always had a fly strip by our back door. We had several fly swatters, a few of them were gifts from Ecke’s store.”
On really hot summer days, my mother made a pitcher filled with Kool-Aid. Sometimes she would freeze Kool-Aid in our metal ice cube trays. She inserted popsicle sticks in the trays; a tasty summer favorite.
On hot summer nights, I sat by the fan in our living room and watched television on our black and white RCA console.  I enjoyed Leave It To Beaver, The Mickey Mouse Club, I Love Lucy and Jackie Gleason.
We had a pump outside. I remember using the tin cup and drinking several cups of nice cold water.
When I was old enough, I went swimming in the Marion pond. I actually never learned to swim, but I went into the water to cool off. One time a classmate of mine put his hand on the top of my head and held me under the water. I was sure I was going to drown. When he finally let me up, I was in a panic. Since then, I have had a fear of water. I don’t even enjoy being on a boat.
I loved it when my Aunt Arline and Uncle Gary Roggenbuck invited me along when they went on a picnic. Grandma made her wonderful buns. She also brought chicken. My Aunt made potato salad and Uncle Gary often brought watermelon.
Sometimes we went to Shawano County Park and other times we went to Kelly Lake. In the evening, my cousins and I piled in their station wagon and Aunt Arline took us to the outdoor drive-in. She popped us a big bag of popcorn. We often sat out on a blanket to watch the movie. I remember Pop Riley always greeted us, looking closely to count the number of kids in the car. I remember that tune, “Let’s all go to the snack bar.”
I love my childhood memories of summers in Marion.
“Yellow butterflies look like flowers flying through the warm summer air.” -Andrea Willis
“It’s a smile, it’s a kiss, it’s a sip of wine…. it’s summertime! Kenny Chesney