Experiences

Sneak a Peek

Jeanna GLeave a comment

I don’t know if my kid is just full of integrity, or if not having siblings has kept her honest, or what? But when I was a kid, we tried to find our Christmas gifts before Christmas morning.

My brother, Jon, would just pick up a wrapped gift and magically know what was in it. The rest of us didn’t have his powers, so we needed to go on the hunt. Why, you ask? I can’t remember what we were thinking, but I bet I was just copying my older siblings! We searched high and low when mom and dad weren’t home. One spot I found was in the attic behind my dad’s writing desk. One year I found a Pound Puppy. I was so excited! But then, Christmas came and went, and that puppy never made its way under the tree. So I snuck back up to the attic, and it was still there. I figured they forgot. But how cold they forget?! I mean, we watched the TV series, we talked about them, asked for them, wanted them. How could they forget? Then another Christmas came and went, and it still didn’t make it’s way under the tree. What the heck was going on? And yes, I somehow managed to restrain myself. I was definitely tempted to just grab that stuffed animal from its hiding spot and act like I’d had it all along. Maybe I could just confuse them into thinking they had already given it to me! But I didn’t. I waited. And waited. And would you believe that puppy disappeared from the attic one day, and I never received it? I don’t know where it went; forever a mystery. I guess that’s my punishment for being naughty. But I learned my lesson, and now I much prefer to hope, wait, and be surprised. I’m trying, Santa!

All We Want for Christmas…

Jeanna G3 Comments

I watched the movie 8-Bit Christmas the other day. Being a child of the 80s, I could totally empathize with the main character, and his sister, for that matter. He wanted a Nintendo and she wanted a Cabbage Patch Doll, and I wanted both.

Growing up in a full house, I got used to hand-me-downs. My mom still buys us stuff from the thrift store. So I was bowled over when we all got Cabbage Patch Kids and a Nintendo. My mom worked her butt off to get us not just what we needed, but what we wanted, too. Well, the apple doesn’t fall far, because I also go overboard at Christmas, even though I have to work extra hard to make sure of it.

So I was bit perplexed the other day when my mom made some comment about my sister and me spending an extravagant amount of money on Christmas. My daughter, who also didn’t fall far from the tree, was sure to correct her and point out that Santa did the giving. And I just shook my head, because I’m sure, if she took a Juvenescent Junket, she’d remember that all she wanted for Christmas was to make us happy, no matter what the cost, and she shouldn’t be surprised we’d want the same.

How Do You Like Them Apples?

Jeanna GLeave a comment

This weekend I’m staying in Zirconia, NC, one of many towns nestled in the great Appalachian Mountains. On our drive into Flat Rock for lunch, we passed an apple orchard on one of the hairpin turns down the mountain. I stuck it in my mental Rolodex, and when I was not in danger of getting car sick, I typed the orchard’s name into my search engine and read to my group all of the reasons why we should stop there on the way home.

My gift of persuasion worked and we were soon chasing my daughter and my friend’s son around the many unique playhouses alongside the orchard. My daughter and I savored the warm, melt-in your-mouth, apple cider doughnuts. The scent of home-baked apple pies drifted into my senses, which drew us into the main building. It was then that I was transported back to childhood.

The tables of apple varieties, the bushel baskets, scales, and presses. People pulling their wagons and sipping their hot cider. With a blink of my eyes, I was back at Nestrovich’s Orchard in Granville, MA, following my mom around, ready to pick some apples.

🍏 A Gala of Apples 🍎

Beyond there, we found billy goats to pet and apples to launch from a cannon. We returned to imbibe hot cider and apple slushies, and were delighted in finding apple butter to bring back home.

If you’ve been reading my posts, you know I love to do things. All the things. Usually one time is enough. But this… walking through the orchard, mountain top vistas, peaceful motions and thoughtful considerations of a future filled with pies and sauce and family gatherings… this should be done annually, a tradition. How distinctive a moment that, all at once, you can be reminded of something you didn’t know you missed, but you realize you’ve missed very much, and now you’ll be sure not to miss again. Now how do you like them apples?