Lifes simple pleasures are the best

[woodbowl]

Ever notice how the simplest things in life seem to hold the best memories?  Well, ......  meet my uncle Son. He is a sport model. Fancy things don't mean a whole lot to him. I believe he could eat collards three times a day if he had them. He will buy a few staples and a few things he can't grow in the garden, but other than that, he is pretty satisfied. He doesn't worry about a whole lot. He talks real slow but ever so precise.  Every now and then he will get a craving for oysters on the half shell so off we go to the oyster bar. See that hat he's got on? It's rare to see him without it. If it ain't on his head, he probably don't have his britches on neither, except at a funeral or something like that.  I've heard the old timers say that the best things in life are free. I've just got to believe that. Everyone seems to hold memories of a simpler time close to their heart. ............. What are some of your simple pleasures?

[JimBuis]

When I was little boy, I used to love my grandparents dearly.  My Grandma Buis used to make plain sugar cookies and she would put a single "red hot" (small hot cinnamon candy) on top of each of them for flavor.  She always had one of those cookies for me when I came to visit.  My Grandma Bryant always had lemon drop candies for me when we came to visit.  Until this very day, it is impossible for me to eat one of those cookies or a lemon drop without thinking of those dear sweet ladies. :'(

[Don K]

After my Grandaddy retired from the logging woods in the early 80's, I would go eat lunch with them as often as was possible, which was pretty often as my shift work allowed several days off at a time. My grandmother cooked with that old southern style that has the health fanatics in a complete uproar nowadays. The meal might consist of something like fried chicken, butterbeans or some other home grown vegetable and buttermilk cornbread and iced tea. Simple, but enough to split your side seams with!!!   ;D   8)           

They are both gone now, but I dearly miss them :'(

[highpockets]

I'd give $20.00 for my grandmother's bisquits and some Red Eye Gravy.   

[Radar67]

I miss my Grandmother's clear sugar syrup and chocolate pie.

Stew

[jgoodhart]

My Grandmother always made me a desert that was just pie crust with brown sugar and butter inside Hmmm, good and the pie crust for this treat was left over from the apple pies.

[moosehunter]

Watching the sun rise from my favorite tree stand.

Listening to the Loons in the wee hour of the morning on Mud Lake when we visit Maine.

Seeing a small child run to a parent for a hug.

My wife sending me an e-mail out of the blue, just to tell me she is thinking of me.

Throwing a tennis ball for my dog.

[sawguy21]

I remember my grandpas wood shop. He made windmills as yard ornaments and really cool wood biplanes. He hung them in the maple trees, lived in southern Ontario, and they would swing into the wind with the props turning. Sure wish I had some pictures.
Sitting on the swing eating grandma's home made ice cream on a hot day was the best. Life has gotten too complicated since.
moosehunter, sunrise is my favourite time of day. It is so quiet  and I enjoy watching and listening to nature come to life.

[Patty]

Life's simple pleasures....hmmmm. Since moving to our farm, I have enjoyed more than my share of these pleasures. Just a few come to mind..the beautiful sun rises and sunsets, the smell of fresh mowed hay, watching the combines move through the corn fields, giving my big old horse a hug as she nuzzles me, petting my special cat Angel until he rolls over on his back for a tummy rub, playing with my lab, Ali....going for a long walk in the woods..sitting on the back porch with my wonderful husband listening to the train rumble by so far away....ah yes, life in the country is good.  8)

[Coon]

You people make me think of some of my fondest memories of my grandparents when they lived on the homestead....  Boy was it ever special  when I was a kid going to my grandparents farm for the weekend.  Saturday morning I'd wake up to the smell of fresh brewed coffee and pancakes cooking on the old cast iron griddle.  The smell of the homemade Canadian back bacon frying in the pan.  Once we had the breakfast grandad and I would go out and do the chores.  He had pigs to feed, eggs to pick, chickens to feed, cattle to feed...... you know the whole works.... a true homestead.  Granny would go work in the garden and I would often go help.  She had the biggest cabbages that I ever saw....  After lunch we'd often go for a walk and maybe pick some fresh wild berries or mushrooms or something....  Boy were those the times......  Granny always had some kind of baking for the sweet tooth..... and always gave you the highlight of the day.  She was never in a hurry to do anything and just went on with every bit of content.   Sadly she passed away with a battle of cancer............miss her this very instant and always will :'(

[tmullen]

Coming home after a extended fire assignment and getting hugs and kisses from your two little girls
Waking up to a fresh snow fall and just spending time looking out the window with the wife and a cup of strong hot coffee
Midnight in July and hearing the distant rumble of thunder, knowing the next day you will be chasing smokes in god's country
Sitting in the porch swing, stomach full from dinner, a cold cocktail and a setting sun.

Thanks for reminding me about whats important!!

[maple flats]

These are the things I enjoy most and why I do the things I do. A hug from your spouse, working in the woods, observing nature all the time, the smell of maple syrup boiling, A quiet woods walk, watching a bird of prey in flight, casting a fishing line and not needing to catch anything, watching a pair of loons dive and re-appear a long ways from the dive site. These and many others are the simple things I enjoy. This is why I spend most of my time out in the woods, but always return home for that hug. 8)

[Troy]

When my daughter was just an infant she had a run of colic.  As a result of this she would wake quite often late in the night and cry.  Well it was several months of sleepless nights for for baby and Dad as I am quite a light sleeper and the wife can sleep through anything.  Well I remember getting Mandy out of her crib and taking her into the living room and rocking her for an hour or more before she would calm down.  I lost a lot of sleep during those times, had a hard time staying awake on the comute to work and whenever I sat still for any length of time in front of the computer.  It was a small price to pay for the fond memories I had of holding my little girl on my shoulder in the middle of the night as we rocked and rocked until she would fall back to sleep.  She would snuggle up to my neck and I could feel her breaths become slower and softer as she slowly drifted off to sleep with her arm drapped over my shoulder.  Times I wouldn't trade for anything!

[DanG]

You got that right, Troy!!  I 'member them days too. It's been a long time, though.

[Engineer]

Believe it or not, the thing I remember best about eating at my grandmother's house was liverwurst sandwiches.   To this day I still love' em.

[woodbowl]

Believe it or not, the thing I remember best about eating at my grandmother's house was liverwurst sandwiches.   To this day I still love' em.

:D :D :D ............ I'm beginning to think that here is something about being a yungen that see's the world as a big ole' playground and whatever Grandma can whip up turns into the best stuff in the word. My wife talks about how nice it was to find a dry left over biscuit when she got home from school.
  When I was a little fellow, my folks would head for our kin folks that lived at the beach. It was 2 hours away and a good ride. As we approached we could smell the paper mill in Panama City Fla. That sulfur smell was everywhere. Even though the whole country side smelled like a big ole phart, us kids would associate that smell as "the beach". We would even say ........... I smell the beach! I was a teenager before I realized that the beach really doesn't smell that way. To this day, when the wind is just right ........ :  the little kid in me says, I smell the beach!

[UNCLEBUCK]

Great thread woodbowl !  When I drove truck over the road I was so glad to get away from home but it didnt take long for me to think otherwise . Late at night cruising along and the smell of a fresh cut hayfield , a feedlot , instantly reminded me of home . I remember always going spearing for fish with gramps in his ice house with the old woodstove chuggin waiting to go home just so I could drive the snowmobile . I remember it all . That oyster bar looks like the place to be ! I have heard of them but never seen or been to one . What is a sport model? 

[woodbowl]

What is a sport model? 

It's a "unique individual."  You know, like a special car. This one is stock, but that one is the "sport model. He just real special to me.  ;)

[DanG]

That oyster bar looks like the place to be ! I have heard of them but never seen or been to one .  

UncleBuck, there you sit up there, froze from yer noze to yer toze. ???  I don't know what is keeping you from just coming on down here for a vacation.  You sure wouldn't lack for willing tour guides.  How 'bout it, huh? ;D

[Qweaver]

I'm setting here this morning looking out of the window of our motorhome at the old four room rundown house that I was raised in.  It wasn't too bad until the huge wild cherry tree fell on it a few years ago.  We never had running water( I kid that we had running water...each morning we just ran down to the well 30 yards from the house to get it...the outhouse was a similar distance) and we heated with wood and coal.  It was drafty and cold except in the living room where the stove was located but my memories of that time are filled with the good times that we had.  We lived as good or better (at least we had electricity) than most country folk and considered all of the town people rich to be able to afford gas, water and indoor plumbing.  Our road was mud and unpassable most of the winter.  Dad couldn't afford a four wheel drive truck or a tractor so we walked the quarter mile from the "hardtop".  But again, fond memories of that time vastly overwhelm any bad ones.
Now we have a 4 wd jeep, a 4wd 4wheeler, a 4wd tractor, a county maintained gravel road and a cosy 30' motorhome to stay in while we prepare to build a new cosy timber frame home. Life was good then and life is good now.
We have come full circle in some respects, since we only stay in the MH a few weeks at a time, we don't fill the water tanks. So we only do #1 in the toilet and do #2 and shower at my cousins house about 50 yards away.  I'm drawing up plans for an outhouse for those late night emergencies. :D  
My daughter is imploring me not to tear down the old house.  She says it gives the place "character".  I may just fix that old roof and make it into a storage building.  It's more work than it's worth,  but Oh the memories that it stirs.
Quinton

[woodbowl]

UncleBuck, there you sit up there, froze from yer noze to yer toze.  I don't know what is keeping you from just coming on down here for a vacation. You sure wouldn't lack for willing tour guides. How 'bout it, huh?

Oh boy! ........   8)  Gona' take uncle Buck out to eat raw oysters. This is going to be real interesting.  

[sawguy21]

The pic of uncle Son wearing that pith helmet reminds me of my dad. He wore one left over from his military days when working on his building projects in the summer

[Patty]

My grampa always wore a pith helmet...said it kept him cool when he was out checking fence. I had forgotten all about that until I saw the photo . Thanks for the memories. 

[UNCLEBUCK]

I figured thats what it was but with your uncles hat I thought a fashion model or something, he looks like a very nice man and that oyster bar is something on my to do list someday .  Someday I going to get down in the DanG panhandle and have fun with ya'll  ;D

[Part_Timer]

Well I found this in my lunchbox today.

What a great supprise