Memories of Summer

It has been a hot few days during this last travel week.  Very Hot.  I have been working in Saratoga and Washington County for the past two days.  The area reminds me so much of home, lots of farm fields and lots of friendly people.  My favorite people are those that have either allowed me to use their dumpsters or have directed me to a transfer station.  It seems a little pathetic when one of the highlights  of my day is when I can find an area to throw out my garbage.  
But truly I have taken the time this trip to really look for the small farmstands and the mom and pop places along the path.  Yesterday I got some really yummy strawberries, banana split trail mix and a yummy cantaloupe.  They did have some really good sounding sandwiches, but the line was huge and the prices were a little too high.  So I passed on the sandwiches.
Today I found another small farmstand that does not appear from the outside as anything grand, but let me tell you it was very grand.  I had the most delicious Tomales, stuffed grape leaves and a tomato and mozzarella salad.  They made a wonderful dinner.   But the one thing they did have that I did not try was homemade bread.  It smelled wonderful but at the time I did not want any, big mistake.  Now I wish I had some of that bread.

Earlier today though I did have that cantaloupe from the farmstand the day before.  As I was driving around checking the traps and sweating like crazy I enjoyed that sweet juicy cantaloupe.  But part of me was not all there, part of me was going back in time to my grandmothers kitchen.  I started to remember how during the summer we would have lunch at grandmas and she always seemed to have cantaloupe.  Not that I am complaining, I do love cantaloupe.  But I also started remembering many other things that happened during the summer at grandmas, such as the day she would not let me into her house until I was hosed off outside.  I had gone for a walk in the swamp, and lets just say I did not return looking like I was going to the royal ball. The water from the hose may have been cold, but she did not scold me, I believe she actually laughed with me.  My favorite treat though was either  the Rhubarb in the spring to chew on raw  or the sour apples in the fall as we walked back home.  Come to think of it maybe this is why I still love sour candies and food.  I don't remember a summer where my legs did not have cut grass marks all over them, the swamp was full of that grass and somehow I always managed to get cut by it.

At the time many of our small  life events  don't seem significant, but later in life we can look back and say those are the experiences that made us who we are today.  Grandma taught me many things, but the  lessons of the summer were, to eat healthy, and if you get dirty don't even think about tracking that mud into her house.  But truly I did learn that it is okay to get dirty and to play hard, and then to take the time to clean up and still look like a lady.....I am still working on that part. 
 I still eat cantaloupe and think fondly of my grandmothers kitchen.  I still get dirty and  sometimes wait to see if I will be allowed inside or if I have to wait for the mud to dry first.   Grandma always had the radio on during lunch and we would listen to Paul Harvey.   And as I finished the last bit of cantaloupe today I think I heard  Paul Harvey say...'Good day'.