Memories...

It's amazing how the smallest thing can hurl you back in time. My mom, Jace and I went to see my great-uncle Joe who just celebrated his 84th birthday in the hospital with pneumonia. :( Uncle Joe and Aunt Dot are more like an extra set of grandparents to me. They never had children (and of course grandchildren) so they kind of adopted us or we adopted them whichever you would like to say! Prayers for him would be greatly appreciated... but back to the main part of the story!

We didn't want to show up empty handed so we stopped at the drug store on the corner to pick them up some goodies. As we walked around the shelf looking at the crackers and chips I spotted a package of cookies. But not just any cookies.... Windmill cookies... I don't remember the last time I saw a package of these cookies. My grandmother would always buy them for us. I probably haven't seen one (much less tasted one) since she passed away in 2001. I can remember asking Mama for them when we were smaller. She wouldn't buy them for us. I'm not sure if we didn't have the money to buy them, maybe she didn't like them, but I always liked to think that it was just because they were Mawmaw's cookies.

You have to understand.. my grandmother did not cook. Well she did but trust me you didn't want to eat it! She had perfected microwaving weenies and broccoli with cheese for when I spent the night. You can only eat Fausto's so much before fried chicken doesn't sound good anymore. One night when Carla spent the night with us, which she would do quite often, (My grandmother loved the company and we learned pretty quick that both of our mothers would let us go if we played the "but Mawmaw is lonely" card.) Mawmaw decided to cook pizza rolls. You know the ones you stick in the microwave/oven and bake? They tasted like potpourri!! She also baked cookies one day and died them with food coloring; we had red and green mouths for the rest of the day.

Needless to say she wasn't Suzy homemaker. She had someone come clean her house, couldn't cook, had her hair fixed once a week, worked at the hospital for as long as I can remember. She would never, never, ever go out in public without being fully made up. Ok so I'll go into town without make up if you make me. But I have to be dressed in matching clothes, with my hair fixed. Around here, that's not always a requirement which totally appals me! Her finger nails were always neat and painted. ALWAYS!

She loved to read. I remember spending many nights at her house where both of us were engrossed in a book the entire time and hardly spoke. She loved to spoil us. Anything we mentioned that we might want, we had it. Once I begged Mama for Herbal Essence shampoo. I LOVED the way it smelled. Mama refused to buy it. Here come Mawmaw with the biggest bottle you've ever seen. (Turns out I'm allergic to the stuff. Makes me itch like crazy!)

Back to the cookies... she always had "Windmill cookies" for us. They were delicious. Windmill cookies and Andy's mints... Yes I think about her when I go to Olive Garden. It's amazing to me how many memories flood you with a simple trigger. From a box of cookies you get all of this and more. Things I probably haven't remembered in a LONG time!

Tyler is fussing at me telling me I'm writing a novel. (I interrupted his exciting game of Sims Golf) So I guess I will wrap this up. :) All I want to say is make sure you have some Windmill cookies in your life. If you have little ones, start now. Pick something that will be yours. Something they get to do only with you, or get to eat only with you. Every time they see it, they will think of you! Then they will pass it along. I can't wait to eat these cookies (yes of course I bought some!) with Jace and share the memories of his great grandmother that he will not meet on this side.....

Ok Tyler, here's your computer back......