Snap and Chat

I spent many afternoons snapping beans and shelling various varieties of peas with my grandmother. We sat outside in lawn chairs placed to catch the breeze while we worked. Newspapers were spread across our laps to catch the strings and pods while large enamel dish pans collected the vegetables. I don’t remember what we talked about, but we snapped, shelled, and talked.

That memory of Mississippi afternoons is forever etched in my mind; working with our hands, chatting and enjoying the breeze, if there was one. The produce had been picked from the garden that morning, after the breakfast dishes were done, and a load of laundry had been hung on the clothesline. Sometimes her sister would walk across the highway and join us, shelling and talking. The conversation always got lively when she was there as she was full of humor and laughter!

In the course of each day we did many things together, talking while we worked. I learned many beneficial life skills on my summer visits, but it is the time spent with two people who loved me that I have treasured more than anything through the years of my life.

Time together. Priceless and not to be neglected.