I didn’t have too many plans the summer I turned eight. I had my own library card, and I wanted to check out books from the library. We could take up to five books at once if they were from the children’s section. I had my eyes on books in the other part of the library, but I was doubtful that the librarian would allow me to check them out. She wouldn’t even let me look at the books in the basement. When I entered the library, I had to climb the steps up to the main floor and stay in the reading room with the librarian's eyes focused on me. If I tried to check out a book she didn’t think I could or should read, she’d stick it behind the desk and not let me take it home. I planned to memorize the books I wanted and see if I could get my oldest sister to check them out for me, but I was doubtful that would work. She didn’t like to go to the library unless she had to do so for school, and she was more interested in her boyfriend than in school.

I also had my eyes on an authentic army canteen that I had seen advertised in Boy’s Life Magazine. It was made of sturdy metal and covered with a canvas case and shoulder strap. The advertisement said it held enough water for three days in an emergency. I didn’t have any emergencies in hand, but some of my friends had canteens and I wanted one. My friend Davie’s mother was our Den Leader, and she said she was going to go to Billings to the official Scout store to get some uniforms and badges sometime that summer, and maybe she would take Davy and me with her. I was hoping to get two more dollars before we went, and I had a good shot at it because I got paid 50 cents for sweeping the feed warehouse, and I was counting on a birthday card from my grandma and grandpa to have a dollar in it.

My other plan was to take a bike ride. I wanted to ride my bike to McLeod to swim in the hot springs pool, but that was 16 miles from town, and my dad had said, “Wait until you are 12.”

Davie’s birthday was on the day before the last day of school. He said he would have a big party the next day because school got out early and his dad would cook burgers outside. My birthday was over two weeks later and came when my dad was busy with two jobs. I was sure I’d get to choose my favorite food for dinner, and we’d have cake and ice cream at supper. I was also counting on my dad bringing home root beer for floats.

Summer didn’t start the way we wanted. It rained on the last day of school, and we ate inside for Davie’s birthday. My father had supplied a pocket knife for me to give to him. I already had a pocket knife, and my Uncle Ted was the best knife sharpener in the town. I promised Davie that Uncle Ted would make his knife as sharp as mine. Davie’s dad said he would teach him to use it the next day and put it up for safekeeping.

It was still raining on Monday. After supper, I walked down the alley to the Library and climbed up one of the big Blue Spruce trees by the front door. The branches were close together, so the tree was fairly easy to climb, but it was sticky with sap, and I knew my mom wouldn’t be happy with sap all over my T-shirt. My school jeans had been officially declared play pants, but I was supposed to keep them looking nice.

The spruce trees weren’t very good for spying on the people passing by because they were too thick with branches, and you couldn’t see out of them very well. There was one place where I could sit on a branch and see across the street, but there wasn’t much going on. My mother couldn’t yell after throat surgery, so I listened for her whistle. My signal was three blasts. I wanted her to change it to long, short, long, short, short. That’s Morse Code for my name. I learned it from the chart in the office at the airport. She said it was too confusing. Her code was one long blast for Nancy, two for Lois, three for me, and four for Vernon.

We started the summer with four kids in our family. Our oldest sister was married and had kids of her own. My brother and I shared the bedroom at the top of the stairs. Our sisters each got their own rooms, though Lois’ was just the end of the playroom with a folding door to separate it. Our house had a bathroom upstairs, but I usually went downstairs because it was too much effort to wait for my sisters, who seemed to spend a lot of time in the bathroom. The best part of the upstairs bathroom was that it had a laundry chute, a quick way to get downstairs, and a good place to hide for hide and seek.

I have been trying to remember the summer I turned eight this week because our youngest granddaughter turned eight yesterday. We went for Mexican food for her birthday and returned to their house for presents and cupcakes. It was a fun celebration. She asked for books and gift cards to book stores for her birthday, which delighted me. She already owns and has read three of the seven books in the Harry Potter series and got two more for her birthday. She also got gift certificates for Barnes & Noble and Village Books. She’s well set for summer reading.

The summer I turned eight, the rain stopped, and it was sunny on my birthday. I was surprised to get the canteen as a birthday present. Those weren’t the big news of the year, however. Our second sister was married by Christmas, and we had two new brothers. Five kids in the house meant that everyone switched to a new bedroom. I got the playroom. I still had a brother for a roommate, but there was a folding door to separate our spaces. And there was only one sister left to hog the bathroom.