-Isms: Views on life in rural America

Some of the best gifts received from family didn’t cost anything, except time.

Memories of baking in both grandmothers’ kitchens still flood to mind every time I try a new recipe or attempt to roll pie crust to an acceptable thickness. P.S. Grandma Fields, I’m still trying to master that skill. Frozen pie crusts are so much easier but do not taste a quarter as good as yours.

When I watch baseball, I’m back in Wausa, walking to the ballfield with Dad and Grandma, waiting for the town team to take the field.

Undoubtedly, when wild plums are in bloom, I think about walking abandoned roadways with Grandpa Fields, picking the delicate fruit he would turn into wine.

These gifts weren’t the latest greatest gadget or a toy I’d forget about within a few weeks.

Memories like this last a lifetime.

They are the kind of experiences families need to share, creating an appreciation for the little things that matter most.

Sunday, Scott and I, along with the 10-year-old grandson, headed to a wildlife management area for a much-needed walk and a little hunting.

Our goal: morels and asparagus.

Jorden and I found two mushrooms. Scott bagged about 25, plus enough asparagus for a meal.

It’s okay. Sometimes you learn more from a walk and talk with a fourth grader than you do conversing with adults.

Jorden, who celebrated his 10th birthday a few weeks ago, told me he’d learned a lot in the last decade.

Like what? I asked.

As he maneuvered along a fallen tree branch, he talked about science and engineering and balance, which was great, until he slipped and landed on his rear end. At least he laughed, until we figured out he landed in a patch of nettles.

He explained false morel mushrooms are real, pointed out nature pictures that needed to be taken because of light and shadow and said life, right now, is pretty good.

He climbed a deer stand for the first time, taking in the view, and observed a beaver slide while walking along the abandoned river channel.

He wonders what the next 10 years will bring.

Let’s see. He’ll move into the new Summerland school building, graduate from high school and consider college if life as a money-making video gamer doesn’t pan out.

I’m hoping he taps into his love for engineering, math, science and technology and invents something that will cure the world’s ills.

And, when he’s older, I hope he remembers foraging for food with us and the good laughs we had.

As a youngster, we may not realize the importance of spending time with our grandparents, may not appreciate the life lessons we continue to carry with us.

It’s when we’re older, and realize they view us as the moon and stars, we finally realize the delicate and precious love line between grandchild and grandparent.