As a kid, I have very fond memories of going to "the lumber company" with Dad on Saturday mornings. I really don't know what we went for, but remember it being during the spring and summer months...you know, the months where you can smell grass and trees (insert sneeze and sniffle!!) and flowers and the sound of children playing outside mixes with sounds of home improvement projects.
The smell of the lumber company, which holds the formal name of Mission Lumber, is not so unique, but is very distinctive. It's the smell of sawdust, varnish and... popcorn. That's right, popcorn! On those beautiful Saturday mornings when I was lucky enough to be able to tag along with Dad to the lumber company, I remember having small paper bag of popcorn as we walked through the countless aisles of nails and wood (or at least that's how I remember it!).
Very close to our house we have an ACE Hardware. I love that place, and it smells just like the lumber company of my memory. Chris and I went to get some ant killer (which is a story for another day) on Sunday morning, and as soon as we walked in, it smelled just like it was supposed to. So, I walked to the back of the store, past the paint department, grabbed a small paper bag and put a scoop of popcorn in it. We walked through the store, lollygagging through the grills, paint color choices, hoses, and rakes as we ate one perfectly delicious kernel of lumber company popcorn at a time.
I want to go there every weekend. It's a happy place for me. Too bad happy isn't the same as cheap! They are selling the daddy of ALL Weber grills there...it's HUGE and completely AWESOME! And 300 bucks! Stupid lumber company and your hypnotizing magical aroma of popcorn and manual labor. You make spending money smell so wonderful.
We didn't get the grill, but Chris said that if I make him go back there and smell the wonderfulness of the lumber company and share my happy memories on a 70-degree weekend day again, we are coming home with that Weber!
We're gonna need a bigger deck.
Knowing Chris, he will have that grill before the end of April. He is just like Dad in that way. He will figure out how to make it happen Good luck with that one!!
ReplyDeleteOMG, that is just too perfect.
ReplyDeleteI hope Chris gets the grill soon. You will both LOVE it, and the memories will go on and on. Every time that grill lights up you will remember the lumber company, and your time with your dad. You and Chris will remember why you bought the darn thing and re-tell the story...popcorn smell, lumber company, temptation, and memories, new and old.....doesn't get much better.
Aren't childhood memeories the best? My memories with my dsd involve Friday nights at the livestock auction - NOT the same smells, but the same warm fuzzy feeling.
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