Tag: Memories

Rocking Chairs

Last night I went for a walk through a neighborhood new to me. My son and his wife just moved into a new house in this pleasant neighborhood. My daughter-in-love was not home so while my husband and son talked mechanical jargon I took their dog Charlie for a walk. It was a nice evening although a bit humid and I was drenched by the time I got back. We walked by manicured yards, and some not so manicured, and many little, sweet flower gardens. There were a lot of people out enjoying the pleasant evening: people eating outdoors in the neighborhood, downtown restaurants, children playing in the neighborhood park pool…and if I hadn’t had Charlie on a leash I would have waded in the pool…it reminded me of the small swimming pool at my elementary school where I grew up. People were playing ball in the park, others were walking their dogs. Charlie and I stopped to look at the cats in the bookstore window. I enjoyed looking at the charming homes.

One house was hosting a party. There was a canopied tent on the front lawn with lots of folks milling around having a good time…a little music in the background and lots of food and drink. In the corner of the yard, farthest from the house and near the sidewalk facing to the house, were two rocking chairs – not the garden variety kind – wicker or  plastic – but old-fashioned wooden rocking chairs. There was a woman sitting in one of them and she seemed content by herself rocking and observing the festivities. I thought to myself that’s where I’d like to be if I were at that party. It was a creative idea for someone to set out the rocking chairs for the party.

On the path where I walk in my own neighborhood there is another old wooden rocking chair as a yard decoration. It seems out of place however…just sitting there with a missing seat.

The airport we fly into when we go to Pennsylvania to visit family has rocking chairs in its waiting areas. I loved the idea when first discovered them years ago. I’ve seen them in other airports since. I think its great when occasionally I see store owners put rocking chairs outside their businesses for people needing a rest.

I love rocking chairs. At one time I realized all the chairs in our house were rocking chairs! That has changed. And of course, I have fond memories of rocking with my own children and my granddaughter Zoey. I look forward to the day I can hold and rock my newborn grandson.

Small Town Life

Small town living is special. On my way to the book fair this morning for the last day bag sale I diverted and went to a local bakery coffee shop for some savory scones and coffee. I never made it to the book sale…I decided I had enough books…for now. At the shop I placed my order and then realized I didn’t have much cash. I wondered if they took credit cards. The answer was no however, I knew the gal serving me and she told me I could pay her on Monday. I did find a hidden five-dollar bill so I was able to pay in full but I loved the idea that I could buy on credit if I needed to.

That brought me back to when we moved to this small town of 16,000, in 1994. After moving into our new house I decided we needed a new lampshade. I had noticed a local store had stock so I went there determined to find a couple shades I liked, pay for them, and bring them home to decide which looked best. This time I was new in town and nobody knew me. I found two lampshades I liked and brought them up to the counter and told the clerk (found out later she was the owner) my plans. She said…just take them home and bring back the one you don’t want. She didn’t ask my name or take phone number…I just walked out of the store with two lampshades I had not paid for. Of course I brought them home and decided right away which one looked best, drove back to the store to pay for the new lampshade and return the one I didn’t want. I remember thinking how refreshing it was to be in a town where people trusted others, even new folks in town.

My Mother Gives Me Her Recipe

These are hand-written recipe cards from my mother…the booklet holds all the hand-written recipes I have from her.

My mom made a delicious roast. Every time she made one it turned out well – every time! But when I went to make a roast it never turned out as good as hers.   I wrote down her directions but they never seemed to work. It was a lot like this poem I’m posting below:

My Mother Gives Me Her Recipe  by Marge Piercy

Take some flour. Oh, I don’t know,
like two-three cups, and you cut
in the butter. Now some women
they make it with shortening,
but I say butter, even though
that means you had to have fish, see?

You cut up some apples. Not those
stupid sweet ones. Apples for the cake,
they have to have some bite, you know?
A little sour in the sweet, like love.
You slice them into little moons.
No, no! Like half or crescent
moons. You aren’t listening.

You mix sugar and cinnamon and cloves,
some women use allspice, till it’s dark
and you stir in the apples. You coat
every little moon. Did I say you add
milk? Oh, just till it feels right.
Use your hands. Milk in the cake part!

Then you pat it into a pan, I like
round ones, but who cares?
I forgot to say you add baking powder.
Did I forget a little lemon on the apples?
Then you just bake it. Well, till it’s done
of course. Did I remember you place
the apples in rows? You can make
a pattern, like a weave. It’s pretty
that way. I like things pretty.

It’s just a simple cake.
Any fool can make it
except your aunt. I
gave her the recipe
but she never
got it right.

My mom passed away a few years ago so we have not had a delicious roast since – seriously – but I do have some of her recipes cards that include measured ingredients and directions, and they are grease stained with ruffled corners, but they are written with her own handwriting. I keep them in a special booklet and there are some of her recipes I make that do turn out well.

I make her Ginger Snaps. They are my favorite! I ask people “How can a freshly baked, out of the oven ginger snap possible be bad for you?”

Tree Trimming

Our Evergreens

After dinner and a daily walk, we had a tree-trimmer stop by to look at the trees in our yard. We planted all twenty of them when we moved into our house 20+ years ago. We had a corner lot in a small town that did not have one tree on the property. The trees have grown so tall and so full and I love the privacy they provide, the protection for the birds I feed, shade for our back deck and not to mention the beauty they add to our neighborhood. But now, some of them need trimming,

While walking around the yard tonight and pointing out the trees to the contractor giving us an estimate I was taken back to a time when my sons were little and we lived in a different neighborhood on property that had mature trees. There were two very tall Evergreens in the back yard. The boys would climb the trees from the inside, near the trunk, to avoid the needles and fragile branches of pine trees. They had a lot of fun in those trees.

However one day in particular stands out when they decided to trim the dead branches to make their “steps” easier to climb. They did a fine job however the unexpected result was the tree sap started running and by the time they came in that night they had sap all over themselves and their clothes. They smelled good, but sure were sticky!

I miss those days and I treasure the memories of when my guys were growing up.