Summertime Flashbacks

It happens to me somehow every summer. There will be an event or I’ll see a person that triggers some kind of de ja vu mind trip. Jerry and I were having green onions and tomatoes today and it happened again. I thought I would share our little journey with the hope that it will take somebody else on a pleasant flashback.

Jerry was out buying tires this morning (Yes, I know it’s surprising but the tread was just about gone on the Jeep tires.). Anyway, he stopped at one of our favorite vegetable stands and wondered home with gorgeous, plump tomatoes, crunchy green onions and a nice Indiana cantaloupe. He was so proud of his finds that we dug into them immediately.

His first action was to grab a shot glass and fill it with salt to dip his onions in. That’s what triggered the first memory. He started relating to me how he didn’t really know what a shot glass was for as a child because the only way he saw it used was when his mother filled it with salt for the green onions. The story goes on: “As I got a little older, I watched Westerns on TV and saw the cowboys in the saloons use the same size and shape of glass to have a shot of whiskey. That’s when I began getting in our kitchen cabinet to fill the “salt glass” with my coke. Then I would lift it and swig it down the way they did in the movies.”

Of course, this conversation led to us trading memories of growing up in Indiana. These are a few that came to mind.

Jerry:
- My mother ate “hunky peppers” on butter bread. They are still too hot for me, but my brother loved them, too.
- My dad grew tomatoes in our yard every year. He was so excited when the “Big Boy” plants came out and he could try them.
- I remember the mint plants by the back door, smelling so good all the time. My mom would put it in the iced tea.
- Going to Crown Hill Cemetery after it rained to catch night crawlers with my dad. We would take an empty coffee can and fill it to the brim. If we caught two at a time, that was a real victory. Then we could fish for hours in Fall Creek.
- Catching lightning bugs in a jar with holes poked in the lid.

Nancy:
- My dad bringing home a watermelon and putting it into the big aluminum tub of ice water to chill. It was so sweet.
- Taking an evening ride in the car, going over the hill at Garfield Park. We called it “tickle-belly hill” because of how you felt when Dad drove quickly over it.
- Walking to the Dairy Queen to buy a Dilly Bar or a chocolate-dipped cone for 10 cents!
- All the neighborhood children playing hide-and-seek after dark.
- The huge honeysuckle bush on the telephone pole at the corner of our house. We would pick the blooms and suck the sugary nectar.
- Eating homegrown tomatoes until I had sores inside my mouth.

These memories always bring smiles. We'd love to hear your flashbacks. Just click on the comments link at the bottom of this post and tell us your favorite memories -- Just for fun.

Sharing Time Travels

In the past couple of months we haven't put many miles on Ferd; but time travel can be as enjoyable as rolling down the road, depending on the people who share it with you. That is exactly how a recent trip went.

The other day my sister, Marti, and I celebrated my Aunt Peg's birthday with her. She's a lively 84-years-young. It was so enjoyable to spend the day having lunch at the local MCL cafeteria (just a couple of blocks from where I grew up) and talking with Aunt Peg about her quilting and our family. Here she is looking at the new photo album we gave her to keep momentoes of all her beautiful quilts. She is an inspiration and just a hell-of-a-lot-of-fun. Her can-do attitude and sparkling personality are enough to get anyone energized.

Each year her quilts are the coveted prize at the family reunion raffle. And the last few years I've been thrilled to take part by producing family history squares carrying genealogy information and photos. As I continue to search out more family information and photos, I know I can bring them to her and we'll have another great conversation from the memories that are conjured up. Of course, these discussions bring back my own recollections. It seems like yesterday that we were little children at Christmas at Grandma Weber's sitting on Santa's lap, who happened to be Uncle Shad, Peg's husband. And the memories go on-and-on.............

Have I made you reflect a little? Did you have a flashback to your aunts and uncles at Christmas? Or how about high school dates? Or camping in the summers with your girl scout troop? Are you an aunt or uncle who might share some of those great recollections with a niece or nephew? Now's the time to enjoy some time travel!

Back In The Writing Saddle

Hooray, hooray, I'm typing away! I can tie my own shoes again. That nasty cast I carried on my right arm for what seemed like an eternity came off the other day and the doc gave me a positive report. I feel as though it's Christmas.

However, it was somewhat interesting, and a little comical, to learn what I could actually do with my left hand (being totally right-handed). Of course, there are the essentials, like eating. I was hoping that since some types of food slipped right off the fork as I wiggled it to my mouth using the clumsy left hand, that there was a reduction in calories and I would lose a few pounds. Probably not, since I wrestled with that pie late one night when hubby was asleep.

Also I discovered how many more cooking skills Jerry possesses. Now I realize some of you reading this already think he is a "Chef Extraordinaire" for his chili and "stoup" concoctions, but he showed me during these ten days that he has even more talent. He can be patient while I give him my instructions as to my own way of chopping, stirring, sprinkling and flipping.

Well, so much for dwelling on my thumb tales. This step in our medical progress prompted us to sit down today for some more serious planning of our excursions for the next few months. It looks as though we will be exiting Indy in mid-July, after a short trip up to Michigan over the 4th to visit a friend. Our Streets and Atlas program was purring strong today, calculating the mileage over various paths. With the price of fuel, we seem to be putting even more consideration into which places we want to visit. Should we head up across Minnesota and North Dakota and Montana on the way to our New Mexico winter destination? Or would the path across Iowa and and down through Colorado suit us ? Anybody got some favorite spots to recommend? Many times it's those towns or sites that a friend passes along, or an unscheduled stop that we find on the road, that turn out to be the most memorable. The plans aren't firm until we're rolling along anyway. Wherever you are, hope this finds everyone enjoying a super summer!

Working Around Obstacles

The past ten days has dramatically emphasized how right-handed I am and, especially the degree to which we use our thumb for every day tasks. This won't be a long post because I am typing with my left hand after having surgery to remove a mass from my right thumb. Jerry has been taking care of everything and doing an outstanding job. He insisted he would type this too but I am determined to overcome this obstacle -- at least until I can get this monstrosity removed in a few days. It feels like having a bowling ball attached to your arm since the doctor's instructions are to keep it elevated over my heart at all times. I've been doing a lot of reading and trying not to knock myself out in bed at night. Sure will appreciate that little appendage a lot more from now on!!