Memories....

Today was nearly 105 in our little part of Salt Lake City. Much too hot to even grill. After picking Nana up from her hair appt. we went out to eat. The first thing we noticed when we walked in the restaurant was how absolutely pleasant it was! So nice and coooool!

We are fortunate that when we get high heat we do not usually have high humidity. Today's humidity I think was in the 20's.

Yesterday at dinner and today at dinner my mom shared stories from her childhood. Memories from a long time ago. She is going to be 90 in August. How we laughed at some of them. One of them was so cute. She was just a little tyke but she was getting to go with the older kids into town to see the circus. She had her coat on and was sitting in her little rocking chair impatiently waiting to go. One of the adults teased her about not going, but she adamently rocked away the whole time proclaiming, "Oh yes I am. I've got my coat on and I'm READY!" Finally, the young man, Romney (Rodney), who was driving everyone arrived and they all got in the car. As they got closer to town my mom was so excited as she grew close enough to town to see the lights. She cried out to everyone, "Oh LOOK Romney! Look at the lights of the town! Aren't they so bright and pretty?"

Well, ol' Romney just growled at her in his low, deep voice, "Those 're just possum hunters!"

She began laughing as she remembered that time. Her eyes just sparkled as she recounted about the lights. I could so easily visualize her as a little girl so excited about her trip into town after dark.

Then I stopped at the grocery store and had to go by the produce section. There were these little, itty bitty watermelons on an endcap. I immediately thought of the summer when I was about 4 or 5 and we were visiting my grandmother, my mother's mother. She had planted a fairly large garden out in the back along the fence of her pasture. We had watermelon maybe our first night there. I can't remember exactly, but it had to have been early enough in our visit that I could plant a seed. My little mind began asking questions about the seeds etc. and I declared I wanted to plant a watermelon seed and grow a watermelon.

My dad kind of pooh poohed the idea, not really putting any stock in the whole idea. I'm sure he never even really gave it another thought. But my grandmother took me and we went out back in the garden and planted one lone watermelon seed. Grandmother tried her best to encourage me to plant several seeds but no, I was determined to grow a watermelon from one seed.

It was so exciting to watch the progress. Every day I went to the garden with Mammy (that's what we called her) and kept a close watch on my little vine that began growing. I guess I helped her with her other vegetables, as well as the weeding, and we talked and talked.

Well, the day finally came to go back home. Mammy lived in Booneville, Mississippi and we lived in VA. The whole family was loaded into the car, all our goodbyes had been said and we were backing out. Mammy was standing just off of the back porch watching us back out when I REMEMBERED the watermelon!!!! We hadn't eaten my watermelon! "DADDY! STOP! STOP!" "What's the matter?" my Dad asked. "We forgot to eat my watermelon!" "Well, Claire, I'm sure it's not ready to be picked. We need to get on the road." "Oh no, Daddy, please!!! We can't go yet!" I begged. Of course, he had stopped the car on my first shriek of DADDY, and Mammy walked on down to where we had stopped on the gravel road.

Mammy was the best! Of course it would be ready for picking. It might not be a huge watermelon but it would be edible she told Daddy. Now my Daddy had grown up on a farm in Mississippi and knew all about watermelons. I'm sure he sighed knowing that he had lost. We all piled out of the car while Mammy went to get her butcher knife. While she was gone I went and pulled my melon. It wasn't even the size of a cantaloup but to me, it was perfect. The amazing thing was that God had allowed one single watermelon to grow from one tiny black seed. Mammy came with her knife and we cut it open and sliced it so everyone had a bite. It was the most delicious watermelon I ever tasted...well...um...that is until my first night at college when a group of us went and stole, um...heh heh...took some from a farmer's field...but that is another memory for another time.