My Five Favorite Childhood Foods

Wed 20 May 12 noon PDT. Lunchtime and that brings me to....

Am on week three of doing the Artist's Way. And while on my plane ride back from NC last night, I was doing the exercises at the end of week three's reading. Here was one of them.... which fits in with lunchtime and the title: My Five Favorite Childhood Foods.
List five favorite childhood foods. Buy yourself one of them this week.

The five that came up for me were:
animal crackers (in that very cute little box which I loved then & still do LOL)
underwood deviled ham (do they still make this?)
cheez-its (probably because I was eatting these on the plane ride AND while I was @ Sara & Doug's. What a blast from the past for me!)
Bill's Barbecue sandwich (only found in Richmond, VA)
Bill's Barbecue chocolate cream pie

And now I'm thinking of the limeades at Tarrant's drugstore.

Bill's BBQ keeps coming up for me since it's not something I can run to the local Safeway and buy. So I went on-line just now to see if I could order & have them send to me. What a treat that would be! And this bit of history was refreshing in this world of chains. And made me want to be there to eat the sandwich & chocolate pie and drink a limeade (cause Tarrant's drugstore is no longer).

Bill's Barbecue Richmond, Virginia Founded on June 2, 1930 in Norfolk, Virginia and moved to Richmond, Virginia one year later, Bill's BARBECUE has remained ONE family operated restaurant through the years. Bill's was started by William Steven Richardson Sr. and is now operated on a daily basis by his daughter Rhoda M. Richardson-Elliot, President. Bill's has evolved from a one unit, one window take-out to a nine unit Richmond operation located between Chesterfield to the south, Ashland to the north, and Manakin-Sabot to the west to include a broad menu of moderately priced quick service items. However, the backbone of delights is now and has always been MINCED PORK BARBECUE, CHOCOLATE PIE, AND FRESHLY SQUEEZED LIMEADE. The Virginia hams are basted and oven roasted over 14 hours, the pies are made from scratch (crust to filling to topping), and each limeade is actually hand-squeezed into your cup as ordered. Ms. Richardson-Elliot demands the highest quality and standards for every ingredient and product sold and gets it from her associates, many of whom have been a part of Bill's well beyond 20 years. Bill's has been the recipient of many, many awards and accolades for over 70 years, but to a person on Bill's management team the greatest reward is the satisfied comment from our everyday customer. There never was a "Bill." While Senior was a William and his four boys have the first name of William, all the Richardson men (who have all worked in the company) have always used their middle names: Steven, Samuel, Christopher, and Robert. Only the daughter, Rhoda Margaret, was not a William. An out of work sign maker in 1930 named the restaurant and painted today's logo on the front window in exchange for some of the BEST BARBECUE IN THE WORLD. IT STILL IS!Thanks again RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

What are your five favorite childhood foods?

thank you Chase William

20 May Wednesday 11 am PDT



Well, been a while since I've written here. Lots of Life happening around me. 26 April birth of my first grand-niece. Total surprise to the mother who realized she was pregnant when she felt the baby's head as she went to pee. Thank God that mother and baby girl are healthy and well. Yes, miracles do happen. 7 May birth of my first grand-nephew. Mother definitely expecting and ready to give birth LOL! 9 May passing of a remarkable woman, the mother of a dear & close friend. All reminders that all we really and truly have is this moment. So embrace it even when we don't like what's happening.


And that said, How Am I? In the midst of a big pile of gratitude and compassion. Considering all the happenings I noted above. And other stuff/drama shared with me since then, am happy to be living in that big pile because it takes the edge off the other stuff that's also in that pile. AND helps me BE with who I am in this minute. ALL of me.

Thank you Chase William (my 13-day old grand-nephew) for reminding me. Spending 10 days under the same roof as Chase William reminded me just what 'in the moment' means. And that I want and need to give myself full permission to be in that moment whatever it looks or feels like. One moment, Chase had a wet, poopy diaper on AND still smiled. Another moment, he had a wet. poopy diaper on AND was yelling @ the top of my lungs. And yet another moment, he had a clean, dry diaper on AND was either yelling or smiling. And once that moment passed, it was gone and replaced with another, and another.

Somewhere along the way, I not only let my moments pass and be replaced with another. I also held onto some moments as if they were present moments. And am thankfully doing what it takes to release them so I can restore that part of being a baby that got hidden along the way.