Memories

I woke up early this morning and the first thoughts were of Momma.  Sometimes I don't know why they are there, but they are.  I think more in the summer because summer is when I spent a lot of my adult times with her at the old homestead.  We used to garden there, can veggies, cook and just hang out with the girls.  Momma was an only child.  Her mother, my granny was an awesome granny but we knew there were some kinks in Granny.  She was OCD which made mother's life kind of hard.  Granddaddy on the other hand was AWESOME.  I can still hear his snicker-laugh in my head and it makes me smile.  This morning, as I said before I woke up to remembering some of the weird stuff I learned from Momma and her quirks. 

Did you know why a snapdragon is called a snapdragon?  

Do you see the little bowl thing close to the bottom of the flower!  You squeeze it.  It snaps.  My girls used to love it when Momma showed them stuff like that. 

Did you know that when you plant tomatoes that you dig the hole deep and kind of wide, add fertilizer (used to get 10-20-10), add water, little more soil.  You peel off the lower leaves or stems and wrap the part that will be touching the ground with tin foil for cut worms.  You lay the plant sort of sideways in the horizontal hole, bending the top up but not breaking and cover with soil.  You also should always plant dill and marigolds around your tomato plants.  I'm not sure about why on the marigolds but the dill, for you organic gardnerers is for the tomato worms.  They prefer dill over the tomatos and it is so very true.  Works everytime plus when you pick the tomatoes you have the fragrant smell of dill when you brush it. 

Mother also had some odd ideas when we were young, like taking a tablespoon of cod liver oil will keep you healthy.  ICK!  Also comes back up very quickly.  Don't know how you can get any benefit from the brief time it was in my system. 

When you see a white horse you lick your thumb, wipe it on the palm of your other hand, make a fist with the licked thumb hand and smack the licked palm and make a wish.  Yeah, that one she sprung on us about a year before she died.  Weird.  Even made Daddy raise his eyebrows. 

It's funny the strange things you remember about loved ones.  My most favorite times with Momma were definetly during the summer at their house with the girls.  We would go to the vegetable gardens and get bushels of corn or green beans and can or freeze them.  The girls would play in the back yard on the swing set or help Momma in the garden picking something like tomatoes or garlic or apples.  We would make jelly or bake a cake or just food in general.  The girls received a wonderful experience with momma who was an awesome granny.  She was a better granny than a momma which I think is true of all granny's.  I learned stuff when she was teaching my girls that she NEVER shared with me growing up.  I hope to one day be that kind of granny.  Summer is Momma, or Granny!