It’s time to get up, rise and shine. That was a familiar greeting I received as a young child and also greeted my children with for years. As I think of today’s activities in The Villages, it probably is the most appropriate thing to say. Rise and Shine, y’all.  I added y’all since moving to Florida.  Besides all the athletic activities, and all the activities in the Recreation Centers, the Savannah Center, the nightly entertainment at all three Squares, the movies, and Katie Belles, we also have special daytime events to go to. Starting at Brownwood, there is the Farmer’s Market. If you have not visited, you owe yourself a treat. The produce is all fresh, right out of the fields and there are jellies and jams, and any number of booths to visit. The Market is open from 9am to 2pm. After that,  wind your way up Buena Vista Blvd. and go to Lake Sumter Market Square, where you can browse the Sidewalk Sales. The sales start at 12 noon to 5pm. The weather is going to be in the 70’s, with plenty of sunshine, which makes it feel even warmer. A beautiful, beautiful day. Then take a break, grab a bite to eat at any number of restaurants, where you can sit either inside or out. On a nice day I like outside, as I can multi-task: eat and people watch. Anyway, once you have caught your breath, head over to Morse Blvd. to continue on to Spanish Springs Towne Square, where at 4pm the Cruise In will be revving up. No matter how many times I have gone to it, I still find it to be a lot of fun. Cars from all over Florida participate, and you will find cars from the 30s, 40s and on up. You will find antique cars as well as modified. Woody station wagons and beloved cars of the 60s & 70s, the Camaros and Firebirds, and I bet you will even find a Chevrolet Corvair. Remember them? Attending to me is like taking a walk back through my life. My parents had a Woody Station Wagon, and I can particularly remember the sound the door when you shut it.  I’m not sure why but I always sat in the back seat. I liked it because  I always got to go in first, and it was bouncier then the other seats, which made it fun.  Also, it was bigger than the other seats and   I got to get out last, and that was always pleasurable when going to the dentist or doctor, or even school.  So, at my tender age I liked the back seat and thought that I was getting the best seat in the car.  In retrospect, sometimes we should never look back, I probably was made to sit back there, as privileges, come with age and I was the youngest.  Also, what a five year old finds fun with…bouncing over the bumps in the road… a sophisticated seven and nine year old do not.  On to the Fords with the rumble seats and my high school years.  Yes, Renee Hollyer had a Ford with a rumble seat, that   we all clamored to sit in, especially after football games. It fit two comfortably, so of course we had three in there, at all times.  I wonder why a rumble seat?  Did they save money by not having it be a part of the car, or did someone decide to turn the trunk into a seat?  I’ve never figured that out.  Anyway, cars that I parked in apple orchards in,  a corvette that was a fast introduction to my husband, then a newly married couples car, a VW and onto a VW bus when the children came along.  The Cruise In is a walk back in time and  I defy anyone to attend it and not find themselves dusting off buried memories, and reminiscing about the good old days.  As I said when I started,  time to get up, rise and shine.  So much to do..