My Blanket

I'm anxiously awaiting Spring to arrive.

I'm anxious to be able to sit outside and drink a cold root beer (my favorite) on the back patio and hear sounds of springtime.

I'm anxious to watch the butterflies and birds dip up and down across the lawn in search of food.

As I recall springtimes of my past, I remember vividly going outside my parents' home and spreading a large blanket out on the lawn. My friend and I would lay on the blanket and listen to the outdoor sounds and smell the sweet aroma of a nearby baby magnolia tree. We would spend hours lying down on that blanket and talking.

Lemonade was the drink of the day at that time. My mother would make us some lemonade and we would enjoy a tall cool glass of freshly made very sweet lemonade.

When my friend's mother would call her home, I'd lay on my blanket and entertain myself with a good book...mostly fairy tales, as money was short and I didn't buy many books. The one I remember best was a large fairy tale book that one of my aunts had purchased for me in payment of babysitting her son for her. I also recall a Doris Day coloring book that same aunt bought for me for having babysat her son on another occasion.

As I got older, time was spent on a blanket in the summertime. With getting older, boys became a topic of our conversations. We became aware of cars that occasionally passed by blowing their horns. Our clothes began to take on a new look, too. No more ratty pants and shirts. Out came the short shorts and bathing suits. No longer did my friend and I lay on the blanket to pass the time, sunbathing became a must do, especially if you'd just gotten a new bathing suit.

Other times, friends in the neighborhood would join me on the blanket and we'd talk and laugh for hours. We discussed things of the past and plans for the future. The present was lived and we didn't get bored. Time would pass by and we'd all be so disappointed when our parents would call us to go inside.

Yes, much can be said about a girl and her blanket. My blanket proved to be a most useful article during my childhood days. It attracted many friends, many shared stories, lots of laughter, and so much comfort when you had nowhere to go.