I am beginning to believe that summer will never get here.

Not summer weather, mind you… we are, after all, in Mississippi. Summer weather started knocking on the door back in late March.

No, I mean summer summer. You know, school’s out, the pool is open, time to sleep in — that’s the summer I’m looking for.

I know, I know. I’m giving my occupation away.

I can hear you now. “Not everyone gets out of work all summer, Amelia.”

“Gee… it must be nice.”

“I sure wish I had that luxury.”

And while I freely admit that it is indeed nice, I will always argue that it is not really a luxury.

You see, after having worked a desk job for 10 years and having taught for more than 10 years, I can tell you with some authority that teachers really do need these breaks.

There is no greater honor than being allowed to become part of a young person’s life. Those of you who have children or grandchildren or nieces and nephews (or even younger siblings or cousins) already know this.

However — and you know this, too, whether you let yourself say it aloud or not — there are very few greater drains on one’s emotional and physical resources than taking care of young people. Don’t get me wrong: they are absolutely, unequivocally worth expending those resources.

But we teachers still must somehow “refill the cup,” as it were.

A few weeks or months of rest and recuperation are very often necessary to allow us to come back to the classroom ready to teach another 25 to 125 kids the next August.

Here in Starkville, teachers have a few more days of work remaining.

We did get a day off for Memorial Day, though, and my youngest, Pfeiffer, was determined to do something special.

She started off in her usual way, requesting a long list of impossible treats. We could get a bouncy house, she reckoned, and I could prepare a veritable smorgasbord of tasty snacks.

After we talked about it for a few minutes, she settled for blowing up the kiddie pool and slicing up the watermelon that’s been chilling in the fridge for a week. (Honestly, I think she’s either the most easygoing kid on the block — look at flexible she is! — or the world’s smoothest young operator — look how she haggled with me!)

At any rate, the kiddie pool plan seemed doable, so we got to work scrubbing out a year’s worth of dirt. Thankfully, the pool was still in usable condition, and we got it filled.

After a few hours of splashing and silliness, I was ready for something cold to drink. I dried off and headed to the kitchen.

Unfortunately, smoothies weren’t on the menu, as we had only a handful of freezer burnt strawberries on hand and no bananas.

I did remember somewhere in the deepest recesses of my brain, though, that I could make a passable slush using Kool-Aid powder, ice, water, sugar, and frozen fruit. So that’s what I did.

It wasn’t perfect. I wanted some simple syrup so I could minimize the amount of water I needed to use.

I didn’t have any on hand so we did without, resulting in a yummy but somewhat runny slush. But you’d better believe I’ve already made a batch of it for next time. It’s chilling in a mason jar in the fridge waiting for our next kiddie pool day.

SUMMER-DAY SLUSH

Ingredients
Ice and water to equal about 2 cups
1-2 cups frozen fruit, your choice (optional)
1 packet drink mix (I used strawberry flavored Kool-Aid brand)
1 cup sugar (see note)
Additional ice

Directions
■ Place all the ingredients into the blender in the order listed. (Actually, you can place them in the blender in any order so long as you start with liquid. Blenders must have a liquid on the blades in order to work. I found this out the hard way.) Add top (please, for the love, add the top.) Pulse blender until ingredients are pureed. If the slush seems thin, add more ice cubes as desired and blend again until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve immediately.

Note: if you have simple syrup on hand, you can substitute about a cup of simple syrup for the cup of sugar. This will also reduce the amount of water you need. Pour the simple syrup over ice and add more water to equal two cups of ice and liquid.

BONUS RECIPE: SIMPLE SYRUP

Directions
■ Place equal parts water and granulated sugar into inner pot of electric pressure cooker. Add pressure lid and set the vent to seal. Set for a cook time of 2 minutes. When 2 minute cook is done, release pressure or allow pressure to release naturally. When the pot is cool enough to handle, pour syrup into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. Use for impromptu slushes, sweet iced tea or lemonade.

Amelia Plair is a mom and high school teacher in Starkville. Email reaches her at [email protected].

Amelia Plair is a Starkville resident who writes occasional food columns.