5.26.2009

dandelion toes and a few of my favorite things...

I will always have the best of memories of my Grandparent's house. 
I spent many a summer helping them pick vegetables from their little valley garden.  Snapping beans and shelling peas with my Grandpa to the tune of the backyard swing.  Shucking enough corn to feed half the town of Locust Grove.  (And feed the town they always did!)  I remember my Grandma trying to teach me how to can the cucumbers, okra, green beans, and tomatoes.  It was hot, sweaty work bending over steaming pots and scalding jars.  I wasn't the greatest student, I might add, and now I'm bemoaning my silliness.  Mmmm, what I wouldn't give now to learn the secret to my Grandmas famous dill pickles.  She canned her very last jar a year ago and it's in my fridge, making me drool.

I wanted to cherish every memory.

Laying in the cool clover, picking dandelions and whirling them between my toes, listening to the shrill serenade of a million locusts in the formosa trees.


I felt like a little girl all over again.  And some things never change.  My favorite things haven't.

I will always love the worn blue leather of my Grandpa's favorite Bible.

My Grandma's vintage linens with delicate roses  (which it seems my little girl loves, too!)
My Grandma's pearls and her beef brisket.

The fabric in the quilt my Great Grandmother Dovey Palestine Mckenzie made my Grandfather in 1929.


The irises my Grandpa planted along the blackberry fence.

Cool crisp cucumber pickles and the best tomato juice this side of heaven.



I always wondered what God's favorite color was.  I even asked him one time, but I guess he thought it was more than obvious.  It's a toss up, I suppose.  The colors he used the most to paint our world are the blue of the sky and the green of the grass.  I'm glad he chose the colors he did...

because they're my favorite.
And they're the color of my favorite memories. 

18 comments:

Sarah said...

Today, I ventured into memories of love, joy, and Gram's smell. I went to her home to help my mom start the process of sorting through her things after she danced into eternity. We lost track of time, simply remembering. My 4 yr. old delighted in her porch, just sitting and watching the airplanes. I took home one of her vintage shirts, my hubby laughing, he knows I'll wear it. But the best gift, my Gram's bible. Not the fancy family Bible, the worn one that has been taped so many times because of use. She wrote my name on the inside, asking it to be given to me. And all of the notes I have sent her from the mission field were lovingly tucked inside.

Rejoicing in memories with you today,
Sarah Dawn

Faye said...

Joye,This was beautiful.I sat here and cried thinking of memories of my own!Hope you have a great day! Blessings, Faye

Beth in NC said...

Oh Joye, this took me back to my childhood too. I wish I had the words to pour out my memories like that.

Thank you for taking me back to a more innocent time.

Myra @ My Blessed Life said...

Sweet, sweet post, my friend! I have memories like this as well. I grew up on the farm right next door to my grandparents. I hoed strawberries, shelled peas, snapped beans and shucked corn...wonderful memories of a precious, character-forming time in our lives. We have a goodly heritage!

LisaShaw said...

I cried all the way through this. I have such incredible memories of my Grandparents and their home and I speak of them OFTEN. I was incredibly blessed in what you shared and in seeing that precious baby girl! O my goodness she is a beauty.

All the photos are beautiful

Love you.

Veronica said...

Joye...beautiful post. That's awesome that you have such beautiful memories to look back on. We don't have a lot of traditions/things passed on in our family, so that's something I'm really looking forward to doing for our children. Thanks so much for sharing all these awesome things!

Kristin said...

Oh Joye....I just couldn't help but cry as I read this post because it's just so beautiful. Especially when you talked about the colors that are God's favorite. We should all look at life that way. We should all find beauty in the things that He has made for us to enjoy, and I will be the first to admit that most often, I take it all for granted. I am going to make it my goal to see everything with new eyes, with a great appreciation of every little gift He has put here on Earth for me to enjoy.

Jenilee said...

Such beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing them... I love the dandelion picture between the toes. really pretty... and the quilt... we have a quilt that my husband's grandmother made. It shows much love and it the favorite blanket in the house. One day, I'll have to make one of my own...

He & Me + 3 said...

Just beautiful! So true...I love all the colors he created but Green is my fav as well. What fond memories you have..thanks for sharing with us.

Kristen, pajama mama said...

beautiful.

Victoria said...

Joye, what treasures you've shared here! A blackberry fence with Irises...I am going to make this heavenly addition soon! Thanks for speaking of what I've never known I've always wanted! Beautiful!

Carrie said...

those are such sweet memories! I love the pictures...and green is my favorite color :)

Hope your day is truly blessed with more wonderful memories!

christy rose said...

Joye,
This took me down memory lane myself. I loved the times I spent at both of my grandparents house when I was young. I remember feeling so safe and loved.
Christy

Linda said...

Joye, I could almost feel the cool grass between my toes reading this! I felt like I was at Grandma's farm, and my lips are smackin' for some of that tomato juice!!!

These were beautiful pictures. You really know what matters in this life. Thanks for sharing!

Linda @ Truthful Tidbits

Anonymous said...

You are so lucky to have such a blessed heritage! I am sitting here tyring not to be envious! loved your pics...your little girl daring!

crittyjoy said...

those last few sentences got me. tears. Just beautiful. I love how He colors our memories so beautifully.

There is just something so very special about memories of our Grandparents. They are some of the most precious people we will ever have in our lives.

((hug))

Jennifer Nordin, LMT, CPT said...

Lovely memories! Hope your package of Joy arrived safely. Blessings, Jen :)

Heather said...

What a beautiful post. Makes me think back to playing at my grandparents' house when I was a child. Good times.

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