Sweet Sweet Summertime

August snuck in on me this week. I knew that it would - just didn't expect it so quickly.  August is the month that I buckle down and try to get all of my summer to dos done.  As I sat and thought about all that I still needed to do before the school bell rings, it dawned on me that this will be the first summer that I didn't spend with my grandmother.

Growing up in the country, spending summers with Grandmother and Granddaddy were always a big treat.  It meant going to the big city and all that Arlington, Texas had to offer...McDonald's, Six Flags, and air conditioning.  That's right, I said air conditioning.  Our big farm house had no AC and mama thought window units were tacky. When I arrived at Grandmother's I was prepared for Artic glory!  Many summers, I packed sweatshirts  because it was so cold in that house. Grandmother would tell me that I had better soak it all up before I had to go home.

Those weeks were so special to me.  I had my grandmother's undivided attention and she taught me so many things.  We would shell peas and make hot sauce.  Under her tutelage, I learned to bake bread, cinnamon rolls and dressing.  She would teach me hymns as we sat on the swing - we didn't always have the words right but that didn't matter.  "Bringing in the sheets" was a perfectly good hymn.  Grandmother taught me to do needlework and to crochet, things that I still enjoy today.  These were the things that kept me still as I would also have to endure hours under her hair dryer as Grandmother was determined to put curls in my waist length hair.

Even as a baby I'm afraid to move or I'll lose the curl!

Grandmother never drove a car, so going anywhere was extra special.  One day each summer, Granddaddy would drop us off at Six Flags on his way to work at General Motors.  We spent the entire day riding the train, the log ride, and the merry-go-round. We were not dare devils.  The most fun for us were the shows - the Crazy Horse Saloon and the Six Flags Review.  Grandmother always thought that I would star in one of those shows when I grew older. 

Six Flags wasn't our only summertime adventure.  Grandmother and Granddaddy would load my cousin and I up in the car and off we drove to Ft. Worth.  On the way, we would roll down the windows to smell the air as we drove past the Mrs. Baird's bakery.  Our destination was the Fort Worth Zoo.  Once there, we rode the train and ate snow cones before heading home.  It was years before I learned that there were actual animals at the zoo!  You see, it was so hot and the animals were smelly that Grandmother thought it best not to mention that there were animals to be seen.

As I grew older, summers became busier but I always found my way to Arlington.    Grandmother's house never lost its allure.  We still shelled peas and crocheted. Once I married, those weeks-long visits became day trips but they were just as special as ever.  Over the last few years, Grandmother's visits were bittersweet.  She was never the same after we lost my Granddaddy.  Her mind and body became weak but her smile, while rare, was still a treasure.

Bobby & me with my grandparents on our wedding day

Grandmother was called home last December and I haven't been to Arlington since. I count my many memories and our times spent together as precious. So this afternoon, before the craziness of back to school sets in, I will visit Grandmother again.  I'll turn the AC down to freezing, throw on a sweatshirt and flip through the photo albums one more time.  I may even make something special for supper as I sing "Bringing in the Sheets!"

Like me, Grandmother only had summers off. She was a cook at Hill Elementary School for many years.  She loved the kids and the teachers and they loved her in return.  She was called the Cookie Lady as she did all of the baking. (Yes, there used to be real cooking happening in school cafeterias)  One of the favorites were her Coconut Oatmeal Cookies.  I just may be bringing these to my teaching family this year.  Grandmother would like that.

J.L. Hill Coconut-Oatmeal Cookies
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 Crisco
1 egg
1 C flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 C rolled oats
1/2 C shredded coconut
1/2 chopped pecans
1 t vanilla

Cream sugars and Crisco.  Add the egg. Shift flour, soda, salt, and baking powder together and add to sugar mixture.  Add oats, coconut, nuts, and vanilla.  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a cookie sheet and flatten slightly with your finger.  Bake at 325 for 15 minutes.

Love & Blessings,
Puddin'