You stirred up my memories, Kris

It seemed like our dog Trixie was always having puppies so I never ran out of little dogs chasing at my heels all summer long during the years we lived in the country. Trixie didn't care how much I handled them.

All summer there were cicadas making their noise in the trees by our house. They were very large beetles that I wouldn't touch even with a stick. Sometimes in the late afternoons their chirping(?) made me feel lonesome and sad.

The walk to the country school in the fall was absolutely beautiful! The early morning sunshine was slanted across some of the farm fields I passed. I wanted to just stand and stare.

In the spring the huge lilac bush north of our house was a highly perfumed place to play house and was likely about the only time I would play with my dolls. No wonder lilacs are my favorite flower. We had some cherry trees too whose blossoms were beautiful to look at and so good to smell. One afternoon I picked a few that I could reach from the ground (I was under 8 years old), put them in a glass of water, and decorated our dining room table with them. I was very pleased with what I had done, but my Mom chewed me out but good. The blossoms become cherries!!! She never did scold me for gobbling up peas or tomatoes or carrots from her garden whenever the spirit moved me.

During warm weather at the beginning and ending of the country schools years, all of us took off our shoes and socks as soon as we got to school and didn't put them on again till it was time to go home.

Way back then nothing tasted better than minced ham sandwiches. Especially if they were combined with pork and beans and "cabbage salad," better known to me now as cole slaw.

One of Margaret's friends used to mix up all kinds of stuff to "treat" her brother and me. We had jello with hard candies dissolved together with ice chips and soda pop. Good! My mom didn't know. That girl and her brother and sister were the children of the man who rented the store close to our house---by the state Pen. They lived in town with their mom and spent week-ends with their dad. He