I am in line at Target.
Very important purchases to be made: One spray bottle of Goo Gone. One bottle of Dove "Shine" shampoo. One box of Target brand NyQuil softgels. One anonymous bottle of wine with a cool label from the "$12 and under" section.
I anticipate these purchases will make for a good day.
Then, I see it. I see the golden wrapper. The bold, red letters shouting, "Buy Me! Eat Me! Love Me!"
I respond.
"Okay."
Per my request, the Twix bar makes itself comfortable amongst one bottle of "fresh citrus scent", one bottle of "repairing serum", one box of "green death", and one bottle of "pineapple, fresh peach, lemon zest, and mango"
I am tempted to devour my entire shopping bag. If the item does not taste yummy or smell yummy or look yummy, it at least has the potential to knock me out for the evening.
I am home. I have all but forgotten my Twix impulse buy. I see it. I get googley eyed. I eat it in about 4 seconds.
I am transported.
I am in South Dakota. Specifically, rural South Dakota, near Mitchell, (Stickney? Mt.Vernon?) and even nearer Gary's farm. It is pheasant season (mid-October) and I am with my grandfather (Dad's dad) in his small, old, brown pickup truck.
It is like a dream in that time, sequence, and other details are blurred. For example, Grandpa and I are in two places at once; the cab of the truck, and the bed of the truck. In both places I remember it being just my Grandpa and me, thought I know there were others around.
When we are in the cab, we are parked at the end of a field waiting for, "the walkers". (I was young and walking through fields yelling, "up bird" lost its appeal by mid-morning) It is just Grandpa and me. The heat in the truck is on, and he is using a fine tooth comb to get the cockleburs out of my shoelaces and socks. I can feel the seats (like sitting on a hay bale- stiffer than anticipated) and smell the cab (like hunting things: dirt, grass, leaves, dried blood). It was a stick shift and the knob was big and round.
In the bed of the truck, we are sitting on the sides, with the big white toolbox open. Inside are hard salami sandwiches made by my grandmother (most with butter, one or two without in case my mom came along) and mini candy. Namely, Twix. We eat as much as we want of both the sandwiches and the candy and nobody tells us to save room for later or that we will get sick if we don’t stop gorging ourselves with miniature candy bars. The smell of fall wraps around us like blankets.
Fantastic.
All this because of a Twix bar.
Where's Waldo and Afro Man. (Ben and Steven)
Carving pumpkins and smoking hookah at the Castle
More pumpkin carving at the Castle
One of my favorite photos ever, with two of my favorite girls. From left to right: sexy ninja, sexy cop, sexy truck driver. Like my sword made of cardboard and tin foil? heck yes.
This was taken at the tarp party... remember that? Oh goodness. Chris was dressed as a Mormon. Was this freshman year??
