When the summer nights were too hot to sleep indoors in the 1930's our whole family slept outside under the star lit sky, sort of like the cowboys did in their day. In the late evenings, we placed our mattresses on a set of bedsprings that we left out in the yard during the summer days. We went to bed using just a sheet at first for covering and sometimes nothing, but we kept a light blanket close by in case it got cooler in the early morning. Sometimes, we would just go back to the house to finish sleeping out the rest of the night.


The mosquitoes were our worst enemies. Sometimes, we had to completely cover ourselves with a sheet to avoid their attacks. Even that did not always work. The gnats also bothered us at times and an occasional June bug would visit us. If you have never had a June bug stick to you, you have no idea how upsetting that can be. No harm done, but they seem to hang on when you try to remove them. We did not have to worry about snakes, although the thought often crossed my mind. Often, we’d wake up with our dog or some cats in bed with us too. We kids loved to share our outdoor beds with them.


Then, there were the unexpected thundershowers. That made a chore for us, as we had to rush all of the bedding inside. By the time we finished, we were wide awake. Nothing compares to the smell of a damp or wet feather pillow. Mama never allowed us to sleep outside if there was even a hint of lightening. Lightening was most frightening for me anyway, so I gave her no resistance.

How enlightening it is, to lie outside in the moonlight looking at the starlit sky and seeing a shooting star go by. The stars actually twinkled in the fresh night air. The Milky Way was also fascinating to me. I often thought of how our vast universe was formed and if we were alone. Many of my dreams were made back then when I was fully awake.