What is your earliest memory?
Hmmm…
I guess it would be when I was about 3 or 4. We lived in a tough neighborhood, but when you’re a kid, you don’t know the difference. You only know what you know.
I used to visit my great-grandmother. We lived downstairs from her in a 2 family house. Her name was Josephine, but to me, she was Nonnie. We would have tea parties. Not the pretend kind. Real tea cups, real tea. I thought it was so fancy! She even put the tea cups on matching saucers (ooh la la!). She would let me use all the sugar I wanted in mine. She had tiny silver spoons especially made for sugar! I would drink with my pinky finger sticking out. We would sing a special song every time we had our tea parties. “Tea for two! Two for tea! I love you! And you love me!”
She would let me dunk special “tea cookies” into my cup, and didn’t care if I made crumbs everywhere or if I spilled a little on her table.
She would make me Cheerios in milk with sliced bananas in the morning. When she cut the banana up for me, her wide thumbs would bend really far back at the knuckle. She called them “busy thumbs”. I thought that was so cool.
She would hold my tiny hands in hers. I can still remember the skin on her hands was so papery thin and soft. She was so fancy in my eyes. Nonnie would let me play beauty shop in her bathroom. She had all types of lotions. I called them magic potions. She’d let me put on her pink lipstick while I stood on my very own step stool in front of her mirror. Her bath tub even had high heels!
My favorite was when I’d run upstairs to her kitchen. The smell would intoxicate me before I even set foot through the door. Her pasta e fagioli (or as I call it pasta fazool) was my all time favorite! She was the only one that I knew to this day that put celery in it, but I remember loving the crunch. She would actually mash up some of the white cannellini beans with a spoon. The broth was almost creamy. All her food was so simple, but so delicious.
The best things in life are simple and uncomplicated whether it’s food, a relationship, or even a song.
What was your earliest memory?
This is so sweet! I LOVED reading it! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
You’re welcome Genie!
Mindy, this brought back alot of beautiful memories, brought tears to my eyes, and made me smile. If only we could go back in time… It was a wonderful time in my life and I’m happy you have those special memories with Nonnie, too. You held a very special place in her heart.
I got a little teary eyed when I wrote it…
She would always have banannas in her cereal! I loved to visit Nonnie & play in her huge attic….great post today <3
OMG! I forgot about her attic!! It was like a mini apartment! She used to keep her Christmas stuff up there too! It was so much fun in that attic. Especially the little window. I used to feel like Sleeping Beauty in the tower 🙂
xo
Mindy
Mindy that was so sweet and wonderfully personal, it’s like sharing that special enchanted memory. It reminds me of my Granny, she was really great too.
Thanks so much,
D
Aren’t grandmothers the best?!
They really are, and it’s so funny that they are THE BEST cooks. I thinks it’s all the love they put into every dish.
And they never use recipes or measure anything!! LOL!
Oh Mindy Nonnie was the queen of zool she was a great italian cook great memories in that house. The best was when she would have a suitecase in her car just in case she got stuck at someone’s house oh you made me cry I do miss our nonnie…
Me too. The suitcase thing is hilarious!! I keep spare shoes, rollerblades and a yoga mat in my trunk just in case HahAHaHa! The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!
xo
Mindy
Mindy, nonnie sure was the queen of zool she was a great italian cook.I remember how she always had a suitecase in her trunk of her car so in case she got stuck at someone’s house she was prepared to sleep over.i do miss nonnie too..you made me cry today..