52 weeks of genealogy: week 2

Here is this week's prompt: Week 2: Winter. What was winter like where and when you grew up? Describe not only the climate, but how the season influenced your activities, food choices, etc.

When I was growing up, which was in Arkansas, we got occasional snow and it was a real treat when it happened. We experienced the seasons there and my favorite was fall. Spring was always so beautiful with the budding flowers and plants. It always smelled so nice because my mom had a lot of rose and mum bushes around the house. I loved seeing those flowers bloom every spring. Summer was a bit warm, but we usually spent those days fishing at the pond at my Grammy's house or swimming. I loved the summer food because it was fresh fruits and veggies. Yum! Then fall would come along and it would cool things down and the days got shorter. It was in the fall that my dad would go hunting and my two uncles would come from California to go with him. Winter meant colder days and break from school, which I loved. It also meant a trip to Grammy's house to spend Christmas with her.

I think of those days with much fondness and remember quite a few seasonal traditions we had. One such tradition was canning. When the summer started winding down, we would head over to my great Aunt Jo's house and can the fruits and veggies for the winter. My mom, Grammy, and Aunt Jo also made homemade jams, blackberry and apple butter mostly, and I loved spending time over there helping them with the canning.

I truly miss those days because they were simpler and families spent more time together than these days. Nowadays, it's all about Xbox, PS3, and DVRd television shows. I miss the days when families spent time together and actually communicated with each other. Now, when I want to talk to one of my kiddos, I have to text them.