Stopped in my tracks!

The other day I was running down the road. (I really don't like running. I have been working out diligently now since January and am only just now getting to the point where the first mile doesn't feel like torture.) Anyway, back to my point, while I was just running along I stopped dead in my tracks. A smell hit me and I had to stop and take it in. It smelled exactly like grandparent's backyard! I can't describe what the smell is, I just know it. It brought back a flood of memories. Jason's grandma passed away this past Thursday and it made me think about my grandparents.
I never met my mother's father who passed away before I was born and I had only met my mother's mother once when I was 2 before she passed away. So I knew my father's parents best. From the time I was 8 they lived only a few miles away and we saw them all the time. I miss them and I wish I had been able to know my other grandparents. My memories are nothing grand, but they are comforting and happy. We never went on trips, lived on a farm, or even went camping. I wonder if the memories are more poignant because they are remembered from the untainted and innocent view of a child since there is nothing other than ordinary life in my memories. Whatever the reason, here are some of my happy memories of my grandparents...
The "Milk Man" - It wasn't a real old-fashioned milk man but more like a Schwann's guy. I just remember that when we were visiting she would get popsicle's and ice cream bars from him.
TV Trays - They had these beige fiberglass TV tray with fruit pictures. They are hard to describe but we all remember them. The best part was when we stayed overnight we always had breakfast in the family room with Lucky Charms and PERFECT toast. I don't know what it was about grandma's toast but it was perfect! Of course we also got the watch Saturday morning cartoon! (This was before cable when that was the only time to watch cartoons)
The Oak Tree - I am not sure how many hours we spent up in the branches playing house or who knows what from our imagination. I remember pretending to do ballet on the branches that ran parallel. Of course I rarely got to be in the top "nest" because I was not the oldest. It is sad that the old tree is gone now. It was a happy day when we were finally big enough to get into the tree ourselves and play.
The Backyard - Pretty much the whole backyard was awesome. We would set up Croquet, hide in the bushes in the SE corner, talk to the neighbor on the west side, pull out the plastic covered patio furniture pads, and just run around. Of course one of my favorite memories was of grandpa walking around the patio and smiling at us. Which leads to my next memory...
Grandpa's Cigars - I am not a fan of smoking but I will always love the smell cigar smoke because it reminds me of grandpa smoking his cigars in the backyard.
Family Dinners - When I think of family dinners of my childhood I think of grandma's. Now that I am older and have been responsible for a few brisket dinners myself, I am even more grateful for all the work and effort that went into those family dinners. I know I wasn't appreciative of it then so I guess my way of saying thanks will be to do for my family what was done for me and hope that they will have these memories for their future.
Angel Food Cake - Nothing was better than grandma's angel food cake with fluffy white frosting for your birthday. I have never had anything that compares. They were simply the best!
Games - Mastermind, Cribbage, and others. I can't think of any other specific games but I remember the closet in the hallway that had lots of games.
Red Room and Blue Room - Many hours were spent playing house in these rooms. Nothing was better than to play in the red room and climb up into the cut out above the built in dresser or sit at the dressing table in the blue room and pretend you were a princess.
Reel to Reel Classical Music - Grandpa had probably hundreds of reel to reel music. All carefully cataloged in the basment. I think my brother still has them.
p.s. We did ride bikes and trikes in the basement when the weather was bad. We didn't mind the dust but the open stairs were scary when we were little.

So these are a few of my favorite memories from grandma and grandpa's house on Pawnee Ln. Such good times and wonderful memories.