Writing Assignment 3...A Favorite Childhood Memory

THE COUNTRY STORE

The dusty steps creaked under my tennis shoes as I scampered up to the worn wooden porch. Hands sticky with sweat from gripping the chains on the swings, and the back of my legs the color of a ripe tomato from going down the scorching metal slide, I had one last stop before going home. The screen door slammed, its hinges screeching like an angry cat when her tail is pulled. A breath of cool air brushed my face, welcoming me inside out of the bright sun. A musty smell of cinnamon, dried apples, and wood smoke filled the room.
Straight ahead was a wood stove, cold to the touch in the summer, surrounded by old crates, quilts with colorful shapes and patterns, and heavy iron tools hanging on the wall and scattered on the floor. The ancient checkerboard, with its faded red and black painted squares and round, smooth pieces, lay waiting for a rematch on a barrel in the corner. But the object of my attention was the long glass counter with the old-fashioned black cash register. Behind the glass, rows of small boxes held candy of every shape and color. Gummy worms in neon shades of green, pink, and blue, long strands of cherry red licorice next to tight braids of the black kind, and small squares of thick chocolate fudge: white, brown, and almost black. A rainbow of gummy bears sat next to shiny red disks called “penny candy” and chocolate-covered pretzels. The man behind the counter filled a little brown paper bag with a scoop of the vivid red gummy fish for the two shiny quarters my mom gave to spend on a treat.
The paper bag crackled as I rolled it closed. I followed the plinking sound of ivory keys to the back of the store for a last look at my favorite piece in the store. Standing upright in a corner against the wooden plank walls, the ancient piano played a lively tune for a quarter a song, begging its listeners to skip merrily around the toy displays. I loved to sit on the wobbly stool and pretend to play, placing my fingers on the creamy white keys as they danced up and down with the music, waiting for the part where all ten fingers crashed down at once in a rousing chord. Dum!
With a final brush of the keys with my fingers, I grasped the paper bag tightly in my other hand and scampered out to the porch. Stopping on the steps, I unrolled the bag and dug inside for a piece of candy fish. Popping the treat on my tongue, I savored the sugary sweet flavor before starting to chew. I handed the bag to my mom, grinning up at her with red candy still stuck to my teeth, and skipped down the steps to the dusty road and the car waiting to take us back home.

Musings

Not sure why I like that word so much. "Musings" just sounds so much more interesting than "thoughts" and far more like what I do. I don't THINK about things so much as I PONDER them...and I believe a "musing" is similar to a "pondering".

Whatever I'm doing, I promised a post weeks ago and let time run away...So while I'm in a musing mood I thought I'd take advantage. So this may be a bit of...what's the term? Stream of consciousness? Something like that. Who knows where I'll end up.

Obviously, the main focus of my musings has been this little munchkin I'm carrying. I'm 17 weeks and 3 days along...which means I have 23 days til my next appointment...Which happens to be my next ultrasound when we get a chance to see this little person again. So much growth happens between 12 and 20 weeks...I'm excited to see how this baby has developed and hopefully catch a few glimpses of personality. :) Though of course, the BIGGEST thing we're hoping to learn is whether this baby is a he or a she. While my changing shape is definitely a daily reminder that this is REAL, being able to say "he" or "she" and talk to the munchkin by name is something I'm definitely looking forward to. It's been most fascinating how my belly has developed a sort of magnet between it and my hands...I find my hand there in unconscious gestures often: cradling, rubbing, patting...It makes me laugh sometimes because I feel like i'm acting like a "very pregnant" mother when I'm barely 4 months along and--to those who don't know--barely look different!

But don't you tell ME I don't look different! By all means make a big deal out of my little baby bump! I've never weighed this much in my LIFE thank you very much, and I haven't gained all that much yet. :P

I'm not going to lie by saying "I can't wait to meet this little person"...I'm definitely not there yet and quite content to wait til September, but I AM looking forward to getting to KNOW this little person. Feeling her(him) move and kick, responding to my voice, watching Jeremy when the baby kicks HIM for the first time. :)

Right now I know just a few things about my baby and they'll never change. Our baby is very much wanted, very much loved, and very very special, whether her initials are MJB or his are ALB.* And that is where I'll call it a night. Mama and baby need some sleep! :)


*Subject to change without notice until Sept. 2010. :P