Sweet Taters and Summer Memories

Lately I have experienced a number of flashbacks triggered by summer scents. Certain unmistakable smells that immediately transport me back in time to a specific person or place.

Orange marigolds at the Hy-Vee Garden Center took me back to Grandma Betty's yard. She always planted them around the hydrant outside her living room window. We'd pull them off by the fistful, shred them and toss the petals into the air to rain down on us. I loved Grandma's marigolds. I plant a pot of them every year for her.

Lilac bushes at Easter Lake a few weeks ago made me think of Grandma Maxine. She has always had lilac bushes growing in their yard. I remember that wonderful scent blowing in through the window, dancing through her handsewn curtains and filling the entire house with one of my favorite smells. Next year I'm going to plant a lilac bush.

The sharp and fresh scent of just-mown grass in our yard last night triggered a memory of baling hay with Dad, one 4th of July morning. It was just the two of us. I was driving the tractor and he was walking beside the hayrack, tossing up the bales. It was a cool, dewy morning and the excitement of the 4th was ahead.

Tonight I brushed past the yellow honeysuckle growing on the fence in our front yard -- unleashing the sweetest, most delicate fragrance. I thought how this scent is a new summer memory. That yellow honeysuckle will forever remind me of this yellow house on Arthur Ave. -- our first home, the house that welcomed Mazy and Bo when they were born.

Aahhhh, I love summer.

 Another busy night at our house. Took the boys to Ankeny for haircuts, back home for a late supper, run through the sprinkler, baths, planting sweet potatoes to finish the landscaping by the driveway, and then cleaning up the yard. It's really coming together. Can't wait to invite some of you over to see it!