Apples and Geraniums

Since the main reason I started this blog was to become a better writing teacher and help other teachers with their writing workshops, it seemed only natural to try the Writing Workshop on Mama Kat's blog  when I discovered it.  The prompt I chose to write about was "Tell about something you enjoyed doing as a child."



Visiting my grandparents and other family was one of my favorite things to do when I was a child.  My dad grew up in another small  town about 20 miles away so we visited his parents quite often.  I loved when my dad would announce on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon or evening,  "Let's go over home today."  I'd grab my book and maybe a favorite doll and we'd head off "over the mountain."  Our first stop was at my grandparents.  We would park in the alley behind the house and come in through the enclosed porch in the back that always smelled of the apples and geraniums my grandmother kept in there.  Grandma would be in her little kitchen cooking or baking something wonderful.  I can still see her standing at her countertop rolling dough for noodles or slicing apples for fresh applesauce.  She had one of those red stepstool chairs and I would sit and watch her work and listen to her and my mother talk.
My grandfather would be in his rocking chair  He loved to sit and rock with us and since my brother was the only one who would sit still long enough, he usually sat with him.  He and my dad would talk about fishing or hunting or what my dad's brothers were up to.   Sometimes they would go out to the garage to look at the car or a new tool or something.  (I learned later that many times they went out there to drink a beer or 2 as well!)  Maybe we would all go out to see how the garden was doing or pick a few apples if the season was right.
At dinnertime we would all crowd around the little kitchen table and eat fried chicken, mashed potatoes and noodles, corn and warm applesauce.  The menu rarely varied but occasionally during hunting season there would be some fresh game: venison, rabbit and even stuffed squirrel.  I always passed on the latter two. (Yuck!)
After dinner we would all sit in living room and the grownups would talk.  Sometimes my grandmother would tell stories about when she was young, other times they talked about people around town.  She might pull out her current afghan or quilt and show us.  I think I inherited her love of handwork and think of her often while I crochet or work on a quilt.  Some days my grandfather would hand my dad a newspaper clipping  to read.  (I imagine now that these were probably obituaries)  My brother and I would pull out the toy basket and sit in the front room and play with the handmade teddy bear, toy cars and Colorforms.  We loved that basket!

If it wasn't too late we would stop and visit my aunt and uncle.  My dad's youngest brother and his wife always seemed to be so much "hipper" than my parents.  They didn't have kids, my aunt worked and they even had a "hi-fi."  The best part of visiting them when I was young was my brother and I got to have Coke!  Once in awhile we would go there for dinner instead of my grandmother's.  Then we would have steak or hamburgers that my uncle would do on the charcoal grill.  They had french fry cooker that I thought was the coolest thing ever!

Occasionally we'd really make the rounds and visit my dad's sister and a cousin of his that we called aunt and uncle or old friend of my dad's. 

As I look back, there was really nothing exciting about these Sunday trips.  But I got the opportunity to hear a lot of stories and really learn a lot about my dad's past.  It was just such a comfortable feeling to know that you were loved and always welcomed.  I am sad that my kids never really got to experience this since we live so far away from most of my family.

Coming tomorrow: Part 2 Going "down home"- visiting the other grandparents.