We tried the local place first. Josh had his heart set on a Peach and Strawberry twist, which is just a mixture of the two flavors. He insisted the Strawberry Patch in town had that and perhaps they do. But as usual they were closed and from the looks of things, they'd closed for the season long ago.
I was debating where to head next. On the one hand, my initial choice doesn't grow strawberries. The place on the other side of the next county does...but they are owned by a very big-name conglomerate. I don't mind their fruits, but it takes away from the mom/pop sort of feel of the smaller orchards. Besides, I like supporting the mom-and-pop places.
It was a little cloudy, but the weather was unbelievably pleasant. Our temperatures were in the 100F range earlier this week but the promised cool down came much sooner It was barely mid-80's today while we were out.
John had reminded me that Lily requested a new Dickey's Farms hat. He said, "Why don't you go up there?" I told him I hadn't planned on it but after the local place was closed, that was my next choice. They grow berries in the spring, peaches in the summer, and then pecans come fall. They are a local-ish company, just some 30 minutes from my home at best.
The place was busy, which isn't unusual, but a little less busy than I expected. I found a parking space without driving up and down the street which is more typical of getting a space. Inside I found there was ONE table of peaches and ONE table with produce. I knew immediately what that meant: end of season. I barely made it, y'all!
I was got some yellow crookneck squash, green beans, green tomatoes and a basket of peaches, Lily's hat, ice cream for the kiddos and hot boiled peanuts. I spent a chunk of change up there, but it was worth every penny to please four grandchildren and get a taste of summer before it's disappeared.
The kids loved their ice cream. Millie and I could not finish a small one each. I told her next year we'll share one and she agreed. The kids tried hot boiled peanuts. The boys hated it but Millie said, "That's good!" There's my girl!
Isaac is a deep thinker already. He asked John this morning how did you and Gramma meet? John told him. I listened from the other room where I was at the time. When I came in, Isaac said, "What's your version?" lol. I told him the same story Grampa did. We only disagreed on the days. He said it was a Thursday. I told him it was a Wednesday.
But the most interesting conversation came on our drive up to Dickey's. "Gramma, did Jesus ever get old?" I explained that Jesus died at 33, but that the soul hasn't a body to age the same way that we humans have so he likely was a young man still. "Why didn't people believe he was the Son of God?" I struggled with giving him as succinct and easy an answer as I could but what he said next hushed me up right quick. "I still don't understand why they didn't recognize him. He looked just like his Father."
Golly geez! You talk about tears filling your eyes and getting a lump in your throat! That remark just floored me. That statement was so full of truth that there was no way of explaining what grown men didn't comprehend. It still fills my eyes with tears just to write you all what he said. "He looked just like his Father..." God bless these children!
What you don't know is that every single night, I pray that my grandchildren and children, my great-grandchildren and the extended family around those children, will experience God the next day. Be it a feeling, a word from a stranger, an impactful encounter with a friend, a written statement shared by someone online, I pray that God will allow them to hear, see, feel His presence so that they cannot deny Him. What I don't expect is the ways that God will turn that on me. I want to be a witness, but instead today, it was that 8-year-old boy who witnessed to me. What I struggled to explain he distilled right down to fact and a powerful one at that.
Caleb was off to his first day of kindergarten as was Bella. I can't share Bella's photos as her mom requested that they not be shared on social media, but Katie doesn't mind me sharing Caleb.
He looks mighty happy about going to school, doesn't he?
The three from the Manor House are all excited, too. Millie also will go into kindergarten, Isaac into 3rd grade and Josh is going to 6th grade. They'll all start tomorrow, as will Taylor (fifth grade).
To celebrate back to school, I've ordered myself some supplies for the year ahead. Just a couple of notebooks but it makes me feel I'm making a fresh start as well.
Amazon Associate Affiliate Link: If you place an order using my Amazon link to enter the site, I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. Thank you!
2 comments:
Peach ice cream is my favorite, and it's so hard to find in the northeast the way I remember it from my childhood - vanilla ice cream with bits of fresh peaches - when I can find it here (rarely) it's blended and orange in color. Glad you got to enjoy it! Can you explain what your grandson meant when he said "he looks just like his father" - I was raised Catholic and I dont think I've ever seen a depiction of God in man's form.
Our ice cream was blended and orange too, but I grew up with the vanilla base and bits of peaches in it.
This is my take on what Isaac said and how it impacted me: In the beginning God said he made man in his image, male and female. While we've never never seen God in physical form, God sent his son, in the form of a man. But in character, in wisdom, in faith, in truth, in love he was the very image of God the Father.
Post a Comment