Friday, October 11, 2013

If you came over for coffee today....

If you came over for coffee today....

...I would tell you about my parents selling their farm.  It's really hard to explain what all it is that they do.  But their not so little road side market and deli is a staple in the small community that I grew up in.  My grandparents started it in 1972 as a road side produce stand, and it flourished from there.  In 1998 my grandparents "retired" to Florida and my parents took over. 



 
I would tell you about the memories that I had growing up there, the summers that I spent working there.  Most days you could have found me working in the deli, slicing meats & cheeses, scooping icecream, making subs & hamburgers, and even baking.  And some afternoon you would find me barefoot in the black muckland hoeing or picking my rows of pickling cucumbers, or cutting gladiolas that would be bunched together and sold. 
 
 
I would tell you that growing up I thought that this life was so unfair, that the kids my age got to spend their summers playing all day and sleeping in while I spent my summers slaving away.  But in all reality, I didn't have it that bad.  In fact, I know that I am better off for it.  This is where I learned people skills.  This is where I learned how to bake.  This is where I learned to count back change, without a machine telling me how to do it, when I wasn't much older than 6.  This is where I learned to work efficiently, to use my head to save my feet as my mom would say.  They tried to teach me to wash dishes, but I'm still terrible at it.  This place, it is where I learned life.
 
 
 
I would tell you that where I grew up you could leave your keys in the car and your front door unlocked and no one would bother you.  When I went to public school my entire grade consisted of 35 kids, and our town only has 1 traffic light. 
 
 
 
 
We would talk about how it makes me really sad that my parents have decided to sell, because that farm was such a huge part of my life.  My own children will not spend summers working in the deli with Grammy, and won't get to drive the tractor with Pop-pop.  But intermixed with that sadness is happiness & joy.  My parents, who have worked 12 hour days, 6 days a week, for years finally get to slow down.  All the stresses that come with running a small business, finding and holding on to the good employees, and putting up with the crappy ones, taxes, finances, etc, it will no longer be a factor in their day to day life.  When I have a baby my mom will be able to come and stay with me and not have to worry about who quit while she was gone, or what work wasn't getting done.  My parents might actually get to see my future kids more than 1 or 2 times a year, they will get to see them grow up through more than Texts and Skype.  My mom might actually get to sit down and eat a leisurely breakfast every morning.  So in the midst of my sadness of the season that is drawing to a close, springs up joy and happiness for the season that my parents are about to embark on.  I would tell you that God is Good.


 
 
After I got done telling you about the farm, I would show you the bag of peanuts that arrived today!
 
Photo: My peanuts are here!!!! Can't wait for tomorrow afternoon!!!!
 
And then I would get you to try one with me since the MR. won't. 
   Photo: Raw peanuts do not taste very good. Kind of like a raw pea. But bitter.
And we would find out that they kind of taste like Raw Peas...but Bitter. 
 
Then we would probably talk about recipes and grocery shopping, and what is on sale at Kroger this week, and I might even try to convince you to go grocery shopping with me after work!  I'd bribe you with a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte.  And of course you would give in and say yes, because who turns down a Pumpkin Spice Latte?
 
But of course, as good coffee dates always do, they must draw to an end, and I must get back to the stacks of paperwork that have to get done before the end of the day... And we would awkwardly hug, because I'm kind of a touch-me-not, and am not a huge fan of hugs, unless it's close family or the MR... 

Have a GREAT weekend!
 

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2 comments:

  1. I would take you up on the coffee.. except, no Pumpkin Spice Latte for me, I'm a Peppermint Mocha girl! I also probably wouldn't try the peanut unless it was boiled. lol And it's good to know that you're not a hug person so that when we do officially meet in person, I don't attack you with one! haha

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  2. Your stories about the roadside market reminded me so much of all my family stories! My great-grandparents earned their living through farming and selling at a roadside stand throughout their lives, and my grandma and my Dad both have their stories of working at the stand from childhood on up. They'd closed it down by the time I was born, though.

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