Sunday, June 13, 2010

Simple Pleasures

It's Sunday afternoon and as I do most Sundays I was watching "In The Kitchen With David" at noon. For those who may not know I am referring to David Venable of QVC. He has a show each Sunday doing demonstations of kitchen tools, equipment or food that you can purchase. He also has a "Cookbook Corner" segment and today it featured a book by Jamie & Bobby Deen, sons of Paula Deen. Of course I bought a copy.

David was referring to his blog so I just checked it out and he was sharing about simple pleasures and made me think how important the simple things of life really are. We go to great trouble preparing elegant meals but forget how it is to enjoy a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and as I have said many time, I would love to have a quarter for every jar of peanut butter I have emptied.

There are other favorites that come back to me as I was thinking about my childhood growing up in my fathers little country store. One of the favorite things to do was to pour a package of Planters Peanuts into a small coke bottle or Pepsi and savor the flavor that came from mixing the two together. The salt had a way of changing the taste of the drink and I wish I had one this moment. A great lunch back then would have been a large slice of cheddar cheese or as we called it "hoop cheese" since it came in a round wooden box and the cheese was round. Paired with that would be a honey bun and a drink of your choice. Awesome and you have could purchase all of that combination for a very small amount.

Other simple pleasures that come to mind were Van Camp Beanie Weenies, Cracker Jacks, Armour dried beef that came in small drink glasses that you could use forever, Super Bubble Bubble Gum, a couple of large Jacks Cookies that sold for a penny or any number of items that were always in dad's candy case.

Back in the day I actually enjoyed working in my dad's store stocking shelves or simply organizing drink bottles in the wooden crates. Back then you got money back from returning empty drink bottles and it was my job to keep them separated into brands. Working with shelves of can goods has followed me into my adult life as I remember back to when I had a pantry and would always try to keep it organized with corn behind corn, etc.

Some of the more fulfilling simple pleasures were spending time with my dog "Poochie" or fishing and I don't necessarily mean catching fish but simply watching the cork float and enjoying just being outside and watching the water flow down the creek or river. Times like this can be so valuable being totally void of stress.

I said all that to say this, take time this week for the simple pleasures that used to bring you joy. Relive those moments and slow the pace down a notch.

3 comments:

  1. Good post! I loved after walking to the school at the other end of town as a child we would take enough empty coke bottles to return for a bag of peanuts and then buy a bottled coke and empty the nuts inside and watch it foam and then drink it all and eat the nuts OMG that was the best! Also I loved the sixlets that use to come in six in a little packet, they don't taste the same anymore neither does those chocolate footballs!

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  2. I hae never heard of putting peanuts in coke. Sems almost bizare to me but I will take your word that it is good. I remember when 50 cents was a fortune and 2 cents would get you a handful of sweets. Hours spent wandering the streets with friends, the only condition, to be home in time for dinner. Life sure seemed simpler a few or more years back

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  3. Well done you on learning how to do the link up. That is something that I have been thinking about, and hope that I will now be able to do it as well. Lovely post Odie and you are so right, these days we sometimes tend to overlook the really simple pleasures of life. How I remember taking the lemonade bottles back to the local shop to get your deposit back. Happy days indeed! Do you think every generation feels like that?!

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