Polka, your reminiscences have brought back a flood of memories for me! My maternal grandparents lived in the country too, and let me and my siblings run free in ways we weren’t allowed to at home. Those times—exploring their creek, the woods, and the fields, grabbing a cheese and mayo sandwich for lunch in between adventures—were very happy times for me.

What kind of attitude do you remember that's worth replicating in your parenting style?

My mother’s attitude, mostly noticed when I was older, that being an individual was okay; and her willingness to be silly or absolutely outrageous in my presence. She didn’t do these things in any negative way that I can recall; it was all in the spirit of innocence, and fun for fun’s sake.

What was it that you remember hating about being younger, the treatment you received?

Not being taken seriously. Kids will always have some harebrained ideas, not having a knowledge of history and life experiences that grownups (in theory, at least) do; I know I had my share. I think that had someone engaged me seriously, and helped me separate the youthful misconceptions from the ideas and principles that had merit, I would have had more self-confidence and willingness to acknowledge and follow my heart’s desires early on.

Your recipe sounds wonderful; thank you for posting it. It reminds me of a Scandinavian “recipe” one of my aunts prepared—fruit soup. She combined a lot of fresh fruits and a fair amount of alcohol ... I don’t recall if cooking was involved, but the soup was served cold and was splendid. I’ll look for some cherries to try your soup next time I go shopping.