Cherries!

I saw cherries in the store today!

Cherries make me smile because they take me back to my childhood and fun memories of being on my grandparent's farm. Routinely we went there growing up...sometimes several days a week in the summer. I one day want to write a book about this experience of family and what that farm meant to our extended family unit. But, back to the cherries.

Cherries remind me of my grandmother's redwood picnic tables...that's where the bowl of cherries would sit, among other things like thick salty pretzel sticks and licorice. These delights would be devoured by us, the grandchildren with dark brown and white tan lines, and chlorine matted hair from the pool. Usually a few jars containing bees and clover would also be on the table...these being our prizes from catching bees out in the field.

Best part of eating the crunchy, tart cherries, spitting out the seeds...which you could do anywhere...no need to be tidy about it. We would get so nasty from the juice, but just go jump into the pool to rinse it off again.

Later in high school I would impress a guy in California with my ability to tie a cherry stem into a knot, a trick I learned back in the day. Ironically, I dont enjoy cherry flavored things...or cherry coke, which I think should be outlawed in this country. But, give me a handful of cherries and Im happy!!