PICNIC LOVE

The Yoder Family Picnic Cooler

The Stebbins Family Drink Cooler

If you remember I said I was going to post about picnics.  I have a new picnic recipe I wanted to try and was planning on taking a picture of it to post. Unfortunately, the day we planned to picnic, it was stormy and we had to cancel our plans! I'll be sure to show a picture at a later date.

When I asked Richard if he had picnic memories he said he had one very vivid memory. His grandmother would always make "Grape Lemonade" for picnics and brought it in a cooler similar to this blue one.  We couldn't find an exact replica of her cooler, but he said this was close.  She would make fresh squeezed lemonade and then add grape Kool-aide to it. I was suprised they had Kool-Aide that long ago and he said he wasn't sure if it was Kool-Aide that she used, but that as far as he knew it was.  He always looked forward to that drink.  It was a wonderful, hot weather treat.

The red plaid cooler is the exactly like the cooler we had when I was growing up.  We took picnics quite often during the summer months. Many times it was at a nearby park, but it was always special.  I remember my mom making fried chicken for our picnics and we also always had Ballreich's potato chips! Sliced cheese, deviled eggs, and pickles were also regular parts of our picnics as well as homemade bologna meat spread on white bread. My mom had an old meat grinder that attached to the kitchen table that she used to grind up bologna and add mayonnaise and pickle relish to it and make sandwiches from.  I now have the same meat grinder and every so often I make this spread. Richard and Cole both love it for sandwiches. It's certainly nothing I would ever miss if I never ate it again, but they enjoy it occasionally. 

There were many years that we had the lawn game called 'Jarts' which two plastic rings which were placed 20 feet of so apart, and some pretty dangerous looking darts that you threw into the ring targets! I think they finally banned them for their danger-osity, but it was easy to transport to a park. We also played a lot of croquet, although we never took it with us on a picnic. This yard game was only enjoyed in the back yard when we ate outdoors. 

I remember one particular Chicken BBQ. The date was July 2nd or 3rd. My mom was grilling chicken and she went into labor with my youngest brother, Lamont. She went into the house during the cooking and before long my dad came outdoors and announced they were going to the hospital. The chicken, as I remember, never got finished. I think, since I was 13, my parents left us at home with me in charge. Lamont was born later that night.

For some reason, our kids have always pretty much detested eating outdoors. I always looked forward to the picnic season, then I finally realized that they hated it! I got tired of the complaing about the bugs so we just quit doing it. Now that they are all on their own (well, one still hanging around some) I intend to revisit the picnic routine.  We were fortunate to be given a gorgeous Longaberger picnic basket complete with eating utensils. It's been such a VERY hot summer, we haven't picniced but I know as soon as it cools off a bit, we will be enjoying some picnics. I can't wait!  I'll be sure to share some pictures and recipes.