Grandma's House

Some of my favorite childhood memories are of visits to our grandparents' farm close to Davenport, Nebraska.  We spent so many hours playing in the basement.  There were numerous treasures to be found.  We took turns on the blue hopper ball, gripping the handle as we bounced along the length of the floor.  We created beautiful potholders with a loop and loom set.  I especially loved dressing the paper dolls and holding my favorite stuffed chimpanzee.  We didn't even need to climb the stairs for a snack since the freezer was always stocked with pudding pops.
The big white barn was another special place.  It always smelled faintly of skunks, which must explain why I don't mind that scent so much.  Tucked in one little corner was a play kitchen.  Grandma kept the cupboards stocked with old dishes and cooking ingredients.  I can clearly remember the pitcher I used to mix up iced tea with the jar of instant tea.  It was a little girl's dream come true.
This past December, we took a short detour down a gravel road in Nebraska before starting back for Missouri.  We had driven past a few times in the twenty years since our grandparents moved away from the farm.  We'd forgotten that the barn was no longer standing.  The house looked smaller and was a different color.  Kids' toys littered the front yard.  However, my sister and I were relieved to see the same line of trees bordering the property.  On those trips to see Grandpa and Grandma, we always had our faces pressed to the car windows, hoping for our first glimpse of those trees...and the loving welcome that waited just on the other side.