As I walked out past our garden this glorious October morning and picked up a couple

[Atticus]

of pecans from a tree I'd planted, I stopped to take in the golds and reds and oranges the trees had painted on an achingly blue sky. I sucked in the cool clean air and smiled at the memories triggered by the crunch of leaves underfoot.

When I was a child, October nearly always featured one of those special Saturdays when Dad and Mom would load us kids into the green '52 Chevy and "go to the woods" to gather wild pecans and hickory nuts. The old metal Coca-Cola cooler put into the trunk meant we'd be roasting hot dogs and "mashmallows" for lunch. A jug of Kool-Aid was an added treat.

And, I could detail the day's activities because the memories are still so vivid. But, the bags of nuts we gathered, the unbelievably delicious taste a few wood ashes add to a hot dog or even the stunning beauty of a hardwood forest at its autumn peak are not what touch me most deeply: it is the near-sacred sense of well-being that my parents' unconditional love wrapped me in.

We were far from wealthy and and woke up each morning on the "wrong" side of the tracks, but we loved each other and understood that nothing else was really that important.

I miss those days and I miss the pair who made the memories for me.

[niyad]

1. Hugggggs for one of the most beautiful posts I have read in ages.

[Botany]

2. And on those days you and your family were the richest people in the world ...

.... and those hot dogs, marshmallows, and along with the kool-aid were better than
any 5 star restaurant. Real wealth goes beyond money and can stay w/you for a lifetime.

[cachukis]

3. Another good one.

[redstatebluegirl]

4. Took me back...great post.

[asiliveandbreathe]

5. Thank you for sharing Atticus..too often we forget to stop and take in the

riches of our memories..beautiful ..

[Chipper Chat]

6. You haven't lived until your Weiner falls into the fire

And you just Pick it up, brush off the ashes, throw it on a bun squeeze some mustard on it and eat it.

[Chipper Chat]

7. Oops not sure my phraseology is the best.

[3auld6phart]

8. Okay

I know where you went with that. :clap. Alls well that ends well.

[3auld6phart]

9. A fond memory

Thank you..

[PWPippinesq]

10. Beautiful, priceless memories!

I feel fortunate to have similar, equally treasured moments to reflect on as I approach my 80th birthday.

[Sogo]

11. A beautiful tribute to your parents

and a vivd depiction of the events.

Heartwarming....

[gademocrat7]

12. Wonderful memories

Thank you for making me smile today.

[llmart]

13. Absolutely beautiful post!

A lot of us on here are seniors and these memories are so precious to us. It's not just the nostalgia talking when I say times truly were simpler back then. What will never change is that it really is the simple things that make life worth living, not the stuff we own. I only wish more people would realize that.

[txwhitedove]

14. Oh my, yes. October is my favorite month. We picked pecans on my grandpa's farm

off Rt 66 Wellston, OK. Cross the railroad tracks into the bottom land full of pecan trees and squirrels. Townies would come to help, used bamboo poles to whack tree limbs. My horse loved pecans, and I got my own burlap bag to fill, maybe make some money when time to go into town for weighing. Miss my grandpa most, wish I'd written down his stories about Indigenous people and oil boom days, mumbled as we rode in his pickup with windows down, barely heard but laughed when he did. It was, as you say, glorious.

[JudyM]

21. Aw, such a clear picture in the imagination, sweet!

Loved this: “ barely heard but laughed when he did.”

[KPN]

15. That's real wealth. Thank you for sharing.

[lucca18]

16. What wonderful and beautiful memories!❤️

So much love shared by you and your parents.
You have expressed those memories in such a beautiful, and profound way.
Thank You 💕

[calimary]

17. What a lovely read to wake up to!

Those autumn leaves really connected with the poet inside you, Atticus. Thanks for taking us along!

[evolves]

18. Gorgeous and evocative!

Thank you for the walk in the woods of your memories and mine!

[Glaisne]

19. Thanks for sharing such a lovely autumnal memory.

I hope those woods are still there and have not been developed in into condos or a shopping center as far too many woods special to so many have become.

[JudyM]

20. What a beautiful share.

Vivid and all heart.

[lark]

22. Such a beautiful sweet story.

Pecans were part of my childhood too. But ours were giant pecan trees in our yard. I loved when the nuts ripened because mom would let me climb high in the tree to shake down the hangers-on. We'd all go outside to pick up nuts, but I got to climb the tree and miss some of the bending and stooping - definitely a win, win, win with the eating the nuts treat that we always did at the end. This part the whole family took part in. Unfortunately, picking the nuts out of the shells was a mom, sister and me thing, dad got to skip this. It hurt our fingers, but we had a good time sitting around the table, joking, and talking about the things we'd do with all these pounds of pecans. I miss my parents, those times, those trees and those tasty treats.