Okay, so I'm back. Please know that I have about three dozen unfinished posts floating around my brain. My excuse for not posting? This adorable little man distracting me and sidelining my bloggity aspirations.
Anywhoo, I had a series of flashbacks this morning. It started when Princess Pigtails asked me over breakfast if she could watch Strawberry Shortcake or The Care Bears. Then later this morning, she asked if she could have some marshmallows in a cup for a snack. The combination of the television requests and the snack sent me over the top. I was whisked away to some random point in the mid 80's.
I spent a lot of time at my grandparent's farm in the summers when I was a child (in the days of Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake--the first time around). My own favorite snack to have at my grandparents' was a little cup full of marshmallows--especially while watching The Floppy Show. The Floppy Show was a special treat for me, because my grandparents' lived close enough to Des Moines to get the feed from WHO. At the time, my family lived in the very northern part of the homeland. Since the 80's were smack in the middle of the "dark ages" (as my children will remind me later) and consequently prior to all "this new fangled" technology, we were not able to get WHO on our TV at home. So, The Floppy Show? A sweet reward for the time spent with my grandparents.
Another favorite thing about summers with my grandparents? Taking a picnic dinner to my grandpa when he was in the field--usually raking or baling hay. The picnic generally consisted of grilled hamburgers, Country Time Lemonade in a Tupperware pitcher, homemade potato salad and possibly some my grandma's awesome fruit pies or homemade cookies. The funny thing about the hamburgers is that my grandma would grill them, then put them on the buns and put the sandwiches back in the bread wrapper. This resulted in keeping the sandwiches warm and steaming the buns to a odd level of sogginess all at the same time. In retrospect, soggy hamburger buns do not sound very appetizing, but at the time--believe me, it was deliciously magic. My grandma and I would load everything in her very hip green Chevy Caprice Classic and drive to whatever field Grandpa was working. We would spread a blanket out in the field, enjoy our royal feast and then I would get to ride in the tractor on my grandpa's knee while Grandma loaded everything back up in the car. It was absolutely delightful.
I could go on and on about my time with them and perhaps I will in another post. But for now, I will just say that I am thrilled to be heading to see them this weekend. And also that I hope and pray my children will have a million warm memories of their grandparents to cherish into their adulthood.
