#technology rocks

I just spent the last 30 minutes searching on google maps, for the house where my grandma lived when I was growing up, where we used to visit all the time. I had nothing to go by, except the town and I was able to find the little street you turn onto, by following a road until i saw the turn we used to make so often, onto her street. I followed the street, and as i saw the familiar houses i used to walk by with her, i got more and more excited as the memories flooded back. I finally came up to her house, and when i saw it, I started crying.

Suddenly I was five again, and running around the outside of the house with my sister, being chased by my cousin. I remember eating popcorn and spitting the kernels out of the second story window, trying to get them into the little ditch by the side of her house. I remember walking prince, her dog, around the neighborhood, and walking down the street to pet the horses through the fence. I remember running through leaf piles in the fall, and having to sleep downstairs in the summer, because the upstairs rooms were too hot. I remember standing in front of the air conditioning unit, until my face went numb. I remember hearing her old clock chime every hour. I remember being so excited when we finally got cable in the upstairs bedroom, and would sneak shows after bedtime. I remember listening to conversations through the vents, and i remember the square post at the bottom of the stairs, where she would set her singing snowman during the winter. I remember the plank of wood on the steps that kept prince from going upstairs. I remember her sewing room and how the washer and dryer were in the same room so whenever mom did laundry, i would follow her into the room and look at all the cool stuff. I remember the first time I spent the night there alone. I was so excited to finally be going on a "trip" by myself, to stay with my grandparents. They let me eat as much pizza as i wanted, and they let me drink RC (it's a brand of cola). I remember the first time I tried baking on my own, I tried making a homemade pizza and she got mad at me for wrecking the kitchen, and when i was done, i tasted the pizza and it was awful, and i was too embarrassed to tell me grandma that i had just ruined the kitchen for nothing, so i threw the pizza bits underneath her deck. I remember all of the thanksgiving days we spent at her house, waking up to the thanksgiving day parade, and feasting on turkey, cranberry sauce, green beans, mashed potatoes, and so much more food because she loved to cook. We would eat until we couldn't eat any more and then watch the dog show until we fell asleep because we were so full. I remember all the mornings i woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs and biscuits, because she had the same breakfast every morning and would fix it for us all when we stayed. I remember all the mornings i slept on the couch and would wake up to the sound of my grandparents both walking into the kitchen for their coffee, and watching them through squinted eyes, sitting across from each other, reading the newspaper, or playing cards. I remember when my grandma and great aunt and some of their friends would all gather around the table, each with a cigarette constantly in their mouths, and play cards but not with my grandpa because he hated to lose so he wouldn't play with anyone other than my grandma. I remember running  around barefoot, and having to wash our feet in the tub before we put socks back on, because our feet had turned black. 

I spent probably 10 minutes, "walking through" the neighborhood...