Sunday, August 30, 2009

mud pies and backpacks

it seems as this summer has passed, backpacks are lying on the floor once again. school is in full swing, yeah! the children are getting older, as am i, and the calendar seems to be whizzing by us in the blink of an eye. i don't recall my childhood being over as quickly as i do that of my children. but, i am sure while i was "in the midst" of my childhood it seemed to drag on forever. how i loved just playing outside, drinking out of the water hose, and loving the only obligation i had was to be home when it started to get dark.
once when i was little i was playing outside at my grandparents house, i made a completely fabulous mud pie. i put grass on the top, to make it look more appealing of course. i had little rocks in it, to mimic chocolate chips. after i was done with this masterpiece, that i had been slaving over all afternoon in a deep hole in the ground with just the right amount of water in it and my handy whisk (which was actually a stick). i then proceeded to take it into the house and show my Gee what i had done, she quickly told me to not bring "mud" into the house. was she blind could she not see that this was the work of a chef, who had been hard at work choosing her ingredients carefully? so, i took my masterpiece outside, humph! i then thought maybe something is missing from this dessert? i soon realized what this pie was missing, dog food sprinkled on top! well what else would add to the beauty of this? i trotted myself over to the dog food bowl, grabbed a hand full of kibble and proceeded to go back to the "kitchen". i very systematically placed the pieces of dog food on top of the pie. PERFECT!!! the dessert was ready to be feasted upon. then i realized, who is going to eat this, not me....no wait. the dog! yes it was perfect, Sheba, the german shepard will eat this. i am told that when i was little, this dog was very protective of me. she would do anything that i told her to, mind you i was only 8 or so at the time of this mud pie baking. i called for the dog, "Sheba, come here". she did, "look girl, i made you a pie". without missing a beat, she saw what i was trying to show Gee, a tasty looking dessert that should not be wasted. Sheba gobbled it up and even licked to pan. i couldn't have felt more proud. TADA!! i was truly a wonderful chef!! my day was complete, i could go inside and wash my hands, change my clothes, knowing i had fulfilled a very daunting task that day. it is very hard for any chef to come up with a recipe that is beautiful, let alone tasty!! exhale. hands are clean, clothes are changed, time for some cartoons. with Sheba on the floor beside the couch that i was sitting on, we relaxed. it wasn't until a few moments later, that i realized something was wrong, Sheba didn't look so good. long story short, the dog was very sick from my "pie", i got into trouble and never made another mud pie again.
this all being said, i do miss those days of lazy summer and mud pie making. backpacks are all around me and another school year is underway. so, i am appreciating a lazy weekend, watching kids play and having no other obligation except to put my kids to bed when it gets dark.