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Never want to grow old


Heavyduty053
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               A recent article I read posed the question: If you could relive a summer memory what would it be. On this lazy summer's afternoon the musings of my middle age mentality have me asking a question of my own. There are so many how could I choose just one. A trip down memory lane brought me back to a tree lined street in the Roseland community- a quaint and quiet little neighborhood where we lived during my childhood. Across the tracks from our home was an indoor pool. My brothers, sisters and I would often go swimming there. One afternoon, as I ran across the tracks from the "pump" as we called it, I saw my dad in the backyard trying to set up a kiddie pool. Patience was not a virtue that he possessed which is why that pool had its liner held down with clothes pins, if he couldn't understand it or get it together fairly quickly he became disgusted and scatter things if you know what I mean.

               When filled to the rim the shallow water reached below my knee's, sure its wasn't like the indoor pool but we didn't let on like we were dissatisfied with it. That would have hurt dad's feelings and then ain't no telling what would have happened then up to and including tearing it all down. We knew to keep our mouths shut and enjoy what we had. It didn't stop us from splish-splashing away on those hot summer days....Call it respect, yes it was because we grew up old school where you appreciated what your parents did for you, otherwise the belt or a weeping willow limb would inflict pain on the rear end. Of course we tried to avoid this by learning to not make our parents mad.

               My dad also loved having backyard barbecues, thought he was far from a genius at the grill. He would make a grand production but the result would always yield the same result, hamburgers the size of the charcoal and hot dogs resembling beef jerky. He could make some killer milkshakes thought. He's dump a half gallon of Ice Cream in the big green bowl and add milk and chocolate syrup. Then he would mix it all with a hand mixer and ladle it into the tall fancy glasses usually reserved for company. Dad tried his best despite his dysfunction in cooking when mom was down at a neighbors house, besides it wasn't about the food as much as we had togetherness at the dinner table talking about everything and anything. He had respect for us kids as well to listen when we talked about things even though some of it might be corny in nature....He knew that to get respect he had to give it also. Sunday morning were always special when grandma spent the weekend with us. She would stand at the stove in her flower printed duster gown and make German pancakes. Thick pancakes that would soak up a lot of butter and syrup made your taste buds jump with joy.

               It's been almost 40 years since I tasted one of her special pancakes, but all I have to do is close my eyes and I can still see her standing there at the stove. With that memory, the word comfort food takes on a whole new meaning. Long car rides were also an adventure we'd do as a family on Sunday summer evenings. Dad would do the driving while we kids would sit in the back, role the windows down and let the wind blow our hair. Air Conditioning was still a few years off.  heard Dad call it 4/60 air conditioning. We didn't care what it was called it worked. We'd cap the evening off with a trip to the penny candy store where everything cost only a penny each.

               Many a summers morning you could find mom standing at the ironing board. She'd fill a Pepsi bottle with water and pit a flower head over the end of it made with a cork to seal it. She would sprinkle the clothes with water then iron out the wrinkles. This was the way it was done long before permanent press apparel came into being. Our bed time treat rarely varied. After baths were done to rid ourselves of a days worth of dirt, she would place a pint of Ice Cream on the table and slice it four ways, perfectly equal so there would be no fussing or hurt feelings, one for each of us. Time has passed and all of us are grown up and have families of our own. Grandma, Dad and Mom have left this life to enjoy the next one. I'm sure if he is fixing them his Milk Shakes up there they are happy.

 

What I wouldn't give as an adult to sit on the old front porch and sip a milk shake my dad had made, to laugh with grandma and have mom put her arms around me again. We can't put back what has passed on but we can relieve the memories. If you don't take time to do this then you are cheating yourself out of a lot of smiles. God gave us people in our lives to be family, friends and enjoy each others company and then he went one step further and gave us memories to remember them by until we join them again some day.....Thanks be to God for loving us enough to call us his children.

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