I remember.....

I would run barefoot, as fast as I could, out my back door through my backyard and into my Grandma Daisy's backyard to her back door, which was always open. It had jalousies and I can still hear the sound of the the glass rattling as I slammed it shut.  Once I stepped onto the back dining room and started through the french doors and into the kitchen,  I could smell something deliciously Southern cooking on the gas stove.   Maybe white lima beans with ham hocks, maybe fried chicken, maybe a ham in the oven, maybe greens with a little fried bacon for flavor, or maybe just cooked hoe cakes. Whatever it was, I will never forget how wonderful it made me feel.   My head would automatically turn to the kitchen table, where I would usually see a biscuit, some ham or bacon, that was left over from breakfast.  I would stick my finger in the butter dish and grab a dab and stick it in my mouth.  Then I'd grab a biscuit and a piece of the bacon or ham, and start walking towards the front door while I was eating it.  I'd walk through the formal dining room, the living room and then to the front porch.  Grandma Daisy or Aunt Louise would stop me on the way and give me a big hug and some sugar, (which was a bunch of kisses on the check). After they got enough sugar they would let me go and I would run out the front door to play with my cousins. As I  passed the Gardenia bushes I would get a whiff of the sweet scent that I still love today.  Mind you, I was still eating that delicious homemade biscuit ...........life was good.

I Wish You Love,

Cookie