By “BUZZ” KING, guest columnist

Like you, most likely, I would lay out in the morning sun on our sloped side yard in the grass and just look, even stare at the wonderful sky.

Birds would fly from tree to tree and the train would whistle in the background. Then we had several trains a day and many were passenger.

In the spring, the C119 flying box cars would fly over headed west — up to 21 planes in groups of three headed to New Mexico, I think, for group training exercises. The home base for the C119 as well as aerial photography was just east of here. At night, we watched often as they practiced night photography with flash bombs dropped from the planes for up to an hour.

Cumulus clouds were the best times as you could see almost anything your mind could create. Then, the wind shifted and changed the shape of it all.

We didn’t have computers, phones in our hands or even much TV. Our minds kept us from going crazy. All we had was each other.

I just can’t say enough about the kids around me. We just had a great life. Summer was all too short, but not as short as today. We always returned to school after Labor Day. School ended around the middle of May.

Almost every Sunday we had someone to lunch after church — relatives, friends, the minister, Frank Hohenberger and others. We had the radio in the dining room and would listen to the programs while enjoying fried chicken, yeast rolls and iced tea. Now you must understand, on very hot Sundays, we made our way to the Colonial Room Restaurant (thanks, Jay). There was no air conditioning then, but we did have this one building in town with air cooling, a system which blew air through a water mist in a tower. The result was a 10- to 15-degree change for the better.

Speaking of which, many stood by the ice machine in front of the then-IGA on Van Buren Street. Bagged ice and a 20-pound block of ice, 25 cents, were made available, accompanied by ice chips which were grabbed up by those assembled.

Under the 46 bridge was a deep depression under the water and a rope hanging from a tree — a great way to cool off, and as I recall, no swimsuit necessary.

I know that this will ring a bell: On those very hot summer nights with windows open and fans in the windows and my father yelling up the stairway door, “Just lay still!” I, to this day, cannot think what that would do to help. Even my crystal set could not be used because of the window fan running.

But, on the flip side, in winter, we had so many quilts on, you could not roll over because of the weight. One would dress very quickly after leaving the then-warm bed.

Thank you for making my childhood as memorable as it was. I send, by this column, thanks for everything to Lance, Clyde, Buddy, Lucy, Jamie, Susie, Ricky, Laura, Bob, Gary and Rob. Life just would not be the same without bickering, yelling, stomping off, etc., and then the next day acting like it didn’t happen. My thanks also go to Brownie, Fritz, Bowser, Tippy and several Caesars.

That’s all, ‘til next time. — Buzz