Growing up there was a field next door. It was originally owned by my grandparents, my father’s parents. Like our lot had been before they sold it to my parents to build on. They lived in a house on the lot next to ours that they built in the 40s. My dad grew up there with his sisters.
By the time I came around it was just my Grandma Marge living there. She always had the best Freeze Pops. And cans of soda. We went to her for the sweet stuff. My mom handled the nutritional needs back at our house next door, next door to the field. One of my favorites was liverwurst. Mom would slice it thick and put it on a plate. Then she’d slice it up and down and left to right creating a grid of little liverwurst morsels. Then she’d dab a dollop of ketchup on each morsel. This seemed like a real fancy occasion every time she did it.
One time she served it to me on the front porch. I had been outside playing. It was a sunny day in the spring or early summer. I had picked some “flowers” for her in that field next door. She pretended along with me though I’m pretty certain they were dandelions, the official flower of children of mothers. (As adults we pay to have them sprayed away or pretend that we don’t mind them when we’re too cheap to do the first. Funny how things reverse.) She took them and put them in a small red plastic cup. Pretty sure the cup was red, one of those classic early 80s plastic kids drinking cups. We had them in blue and yellow, too. Or was it orange? I definitely remember the McDonalds “April showers bring May flowers” plate, though. Not sure if you had one of those or not.
I’m grateful to have so many good memories of growing up. I’ll give my mom credit for at least some of them. It is almost Mothers Day after all.
Thanks for the fancy liverwurst, Mom. I appreciate every single dolloped morsel.
