When I was growing up I spent a lot of weekends with my
great aunt and uncle and my grandparents.
I don’t remember ever getting in trouble with my great aunt, the girls’
Aunt GG. That’s not to say that I never did
anything wrong…but I think I may have been a teensy bit spoiled by my uncle and
her.
I don’t ever remember getting in trouble at my grandparents’
house exactly, but I remember Pop “going to the orchard”.
They had a couple of garden spots on their
rural property, one of which had an open pasture area with fruit trees. I guess I’d get loud sometimes, or whiny…I
don’t remember the particulars (or perhaps I just don’t want to admit guilt)…but
I can clearly see Pop grabbing a lawn chair and his newspaper. “I’m going to the orchard!” he’d declare.
And when my mom would come to pick me up, she’d ask, “How
many times did Pop have to go to the orchard?”
“Only once!” I’d happily report.
Or, “Three times,” I’d say, sheepishly.
Occasionally I’d meet her at the door to boast, “Pop didn’t
go to the orchard one time!”
That became a bit of a family joke, and it makes me smile
just thinking about it.
These days, “going to the orchard” has an entirely different
meaning.
We have a gorgeous commercial
orchard just to the north of our town. Hubby
and I went there a few times before the girls were born, but in the past three
years, it’s become a favorite family destination.
Yesterday was a cooler day, and we decided to make a trip to
the orchard. When the girls woke up from
their nap, we told them they had a surprise.
“Would you like to go…to…the…ORCHARD???”
The excitement of three-year olds is truly something else. Their faces instantly lit up, their smiles so
wide, their eyes aglow.
We shared a fried peach pie and some ice cream…we ran…we went
down the big slide over and over and over…we walked around the pond and saw the
frogs and the dragonflies…we bought some flowers.
A trip to the orchard always results in so much family fun.
And I love that the phrase “going to the orchard” will one day
make my girls also smile with nostalgia, albeit for a different reason.
3 comments:
This is SO sweet!
My grandparents had an orchard too. I loved going out there. My grandad didn't use it to let us know that we were being 'too much', but now I kind of wish I had a story like that.
I also wish we had an orchard nearby. Seems like those are few and far between nowadays.
Yep, I said nowadays... I'm so old! :)
My godparents have a similar thing! Ours is all about getting a bus ticket. My aunt came to meet, and marry, my uncle via greyhound. So he's always trying to send her back!
We love "our" farm, but for being an unadvertised, family run farm, they have grown beyond their agri-trainment capacity! So glad you're making great memories.
I love the orchard story from your youth :)
I wish I had a space to escape other than the kitchen because I'm baking lots of bad things (for my body) when these kids make me cross.
Tonight I baked again... :)
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