“You know, summertime is approaching, and we need something to do; we can’t just play video games all day,” said Markie, then said, “The TV meteorologist said to expect searing heat, stay inside, and drink plenty of fluids.” “That’s true, but we’d be in air-conditioned comfort with the refrigerator in reach, filled with an assortment of cool treats,” said Benny. “I’m in with climate control and the cool treats waiting for us in the fridge,” said Joey.
“Look, Yapper seems interested,” said Markie. Yapper, the dog, on hearing ‘cool treats,’ raises his head and excitedly lets out two happy yaps in agreement.
Joey says, “Fellas, remember the hospitality Mrs. Beal showed us every summer. She provided us with fudgesickles, chilled bottles of root beer, and a cool lemon meringue pie. Maybe this year she’ll have a cool Key Lime pie as well. Yum!”
Benny recalls, “Since it was three of us, she set the table for three. Inside the refrigerator were three frozen fudgesickles, three slices of lemon meringue pie, and three chilled bottles of root beer. It would be nice to have a visit with her this summer.”
‘Mrs. Beal said when the heat is on, we are welcome to come inside to cool off and enjoy some cool pop and frozen treats,” said Markie.
Joey said, “I remember her saying, ‘Get a root beer out of the icebox.’ I didn’t understand icebox. She laughingly said she meant the refrigerator. Mrs.Beal explained that an icebox was an insulated box with a block of ice inside to keep food cold. That was in the days before the electric refrigerator.”
Joey recalls, “Mom said grandma had one too. She said the iceman would deliver a block of ice daily or every other day to households on the block. She described him as a very strong man toting a fifty to one hundred block of ice over his shoulder with sharp iron tongs designed to dig into the ice to secure it. Can you imagine?” Both Markie and Benny were astonished, with both saying “Wow!”
Markie said, “I can’t imagine not having electricity.” Benny said, “I can’t imagine not having an electric refrigerator.” Joey said, “I can’t imagine not having fudgesickles. Oh no!”
“No worries, Joey, we do have an electric refrigerator with a freezer to keep your fudgesickles solid,” said Benny.
Markie suggests, “We need to make a plan. One that will allow us some flexibility and structure our day.” “Okay, Markie, but keep it simple,” exclaimed Joey.
Benny is thinking out loud, “We could list three things we could do daily. Let’s see, food, play, and health. We like to eat, we like to play, and we like to ride our bikes.” “Sounds like a good plan to me,” said Markie. “I’m in, as long as we have ‘cool treats’ from the fridge,” said Joey. Benny said, “I like the idea of three, for some reason. Okay guys, we’ll start our plan in three days. We need to stick to our plan every day.”
Benny, reminiscing, said, ” Remember how Mom structured our summertime. She made it fun, but wanted us to do some interesting things.” “Yes, I do. Our day started with a yummy breakfast. Scrambled egg, cheese toast, and fruit,” said Markie. “Sometimes we would get a frozen dessert, ice cream, and occasionally fudgesickles,” said Joey as he took a look inside the fridge.
“Mom insisted that we exercise our brains. Mid-morning, we would visit the library. We were young, and this library thing was new to us. So we looked around and found children’s books,” said Markie.
Benny said, “The one that caught my interest was Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The cover featured an illustration of a little golden-haired girl walking through a forest, carrying a basket, her gaze drawn to a cottage along the way. I seated myself in a comfortable chair nearby, opened the book, and began to read the tale.”
Joey said, “I found the place boring, but I found a book about the ice cream truck, and it was a delicious read.”
“I really enjoyed reading, Lassie, Come Home. The loyalty of a dog touches my heart,” said Markie.
“You know, fellas, those were good times for us. We didn’t have to plan anything. Our summers were filled with meaningful times together,” said Joey.
“Mrs. Beal was always good to us. She planned everything for us. It was her delight to give to us. Yes, always thinking about the three of us,” said fondly by Markie.
“Three things come to mind. Three cool treats: three root beers, three slices of pie, three fudgesickles, and three bears, for some reason,” said Benny.
It’s important to appreciate the comforts of living we have today and to remember those who gave so much to us back then.
Copyright 2026 Frank Clark