My dad's mother didn't have much in the way of material possessions in my memory. My grandpa had Parkinson's disease from his 50s and couldn't work. This was back before there was any kind of safety net. They had a house, a very narrow house on a very narrow lot in Quincy, IL. The house was shotgun style, four rooms, no hallways. There was no hot water heater. There was a small toilet room without a sink. Grandma heated hot water on the stove (apartment sized) for washing. She had a ringer washer. The doors had transoms. There was n furnace, just a gas stove in the main room that heated the whole house. Grandpa died when I was in kindergarten so my memories of him are pretty sketchy.
But, one thing Grandma always had was good food. She made good plain food. She could make roast beef or fried chicken that any chef would envy. She grew tomatoes in summer and bought fresh produce as often as possible. She could make homemade noodles and homemade pies. Eating at Grandma's was always delicious.
I remember that Grandma had two trees in her backyard. One was a peach and one was an apricot. I never remember getting too many peaches, but every other year or so the apricot tree would make a bumper crop. Delicious. I remember those apricots were delicious. I have never purchased apricots since that were anywhere near as delicious as Grandma's apricots.
Apricots are not a popular fruit these days. Dried apricots seems to be the most popular way to eat them. Grandma and her trees are long since gone, but the house is still there and the last time I drove by, the roof had not been replaced since Grandma lived there last in the late 1960s. And I ramble, but I wonder if I could find an apricot tree for my backyard?
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