Memory Lane

Isn’t it wonderful how smells can bring back all kinds of wonderful memories? Ever since we sold part of our farm, our new neighbors come down on the weekends, and camp out, while they are building a shed so they have a place to store things, and to stay, while they are on their farm, until they can get a cabin built. They always have a camp fire, while they are here, and cook all kinds of wonderful smelling food on it, the smell of which likes to waft its way over to our house. The combination of the camp fire smell and the food always makes me feel wonderful, and makes me think of various times in my life.

Like all those years we used to camp out the whole week of the feast, first at the lake of the Ozarks, and then in our own side yard. Even though it was in the Autumn, when the nights were chilly, I loved it!! My Dad would fix up a cool cooking area (when we stayed home) and would cook all our dinners over the camp fire, with an old metal wagon wheel set up so he could twirl it around, and the pans would be over the fire, and twirl them back, to check on the food. He was a good cook, its just that was about the only time I remember him doing much cooking, because Mom did most of it, when it was inside. I loved waking up to the smell of that campfire, and rushing into the house to get dressed and warmed up, and going to sleep at night, with the smell of it lingering.

There are other happy memories that go with the campfire smell, like going camping once or twice in our woods, in the summer, with my brother and my Dad when I was growing up, and of course cooking over a campfire. The weekends we would come down here to our farm before we had the house here, and cook on our grill…not a campfire, but it was something I could do, while DH was busy doing other things…much easier than building a fire, and cooking over it, and still almost has the right smell. Course there is also the times we went to Santi-Cali-Gon &/or the reissuance festival, with my Uncle Orison, and had turkey legs that were grilled on their huge grills. Sometimes I think of that, when I smell their food cooking, over the hill, and wish I could have another of those to big turkey legs. LOL

Before the cabin was built in Minnesota when I was a kid, we would have a camp fire when we were up there camping in our tents. I remember one time in Minnesota my Grandpa introduced me to “pocket stew” cooked in the coal’s of the campfire. I can almost see him now, sitting on a stump by the fire, asking me if I had ever had pocket stew. He said it was delicious and preceded to make me some, and he was so right, ever since then, when I smell a camp fire, and think of cooking something over one, that is the first thing I think to make, because its so easy, yet oh so good! Plus the wonderful memory of Grandpa sitting by the fire comes back to me, and I have to have a walk down memory lane, even going so far as to make the pocket stew.

I’m sure you can put anything you want to in pocket stew, including fish or chicken, but Grandpa used a hamburger pattie in his. He took tin foil, and laid it flat, then put the hamburger pattie, cut up a potato or two, and placed it on the hamburger, and a little bit of carrot, salt, pepper and a pat or two of butter, (no onion for me, because at that time I didn’t like it to well, what can I say, I was a child! I didn’t know any better!! *giggle*) rolled the foil down and the sides in so it was all enclosed in a “pocket” and threw it on the coal’s. It took awhile to cook, but when it was done, we each got our own “pocket” and ohhh it was SOOOO good!! Hmmmm I can taste it now! *giggle* I can smell it too, but that could be, because I have some cooking on the grill right now…smelling the neighbor’s camp fire, made me so hungry, I just had to make some, so I had DH start the grill while I made the little pockets, and threw them on the grill, and then came in here to make this post. I know cooking them on the grill isn’t near as good as the coal’s of the camp fire, but its better than the oven, and sad to say, faster and easier than starting a fire somewhere outside. LOL

Ah yes, smells can bring back lots of wonderful memories and make it seem like they just happen yesterday. Dad and Grandpa thanks for giving me some of those wonderful memories, that the smell of a camp fire brings back.

Sorry for just a plain text post, without photo's or a layout, I know its highly unusual for me. LOL I hope I haven’t bored you all too much, with my walk down memory lane, I just had to share it with you all, for those of you who say you enjoy my ramblings. LOL Thanks so much to all of you for your kind words on those ramblings, I do enjoy writing, even though I’m no writer, so I’m glad at least some of you don’t mind when I do. Maybe I’ll have to do another memory lane post one of these days. I hope you all are having a great weekend!! Its suppose to rain tomorrow here, so I guess we may not be doing all that much for our Anniversary, but I don’t guess it matters; just being together is good enough for me!