A Bushel and A Peck

A Bushel and A Peck

On Valentine's Day we took a drive to Ennis, a little town snuggled between two mountain ranges along the Madison River. Here there are gift shops that Judy likes to check out. In one shop I spotted a small burlap pillow with the inscription “I love you a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck.” I bought it!

When I was a kid I remember by Grandma Tooie smothering me with kisses leaving red lipstick smudges on my face saying, “I love you a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck.” Almost suffocated by the hugs and over powered by her perfume, it's a miracle I remember those words of endearment. I don't recall much about my grandma but I do remember the bushel and the peck.

Doing some research, I discovered that this was the title of a song made famous by Doris Day in 1950 when I was six years old. Listening to her sing it on You Tube brought back more memories than just Grandma’s hugs. A bushel is a dry measure equal to 32 quarts. A peck is a dry measure that is a quarter of the volume of a bushel. Growing up, we would go to the apple orchard and buy apples by the bushel and the peck. That's a lot of loving!

Many times when I see my grandchildren, I will grab them in a big hug and tell them what my Grandma told me: “I love you a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck.” Inevitably they look at me the way I looked at Grandma and wonder what is he talking about.

On Facebook I read this note from grandparents to their grandchildren: “I may not see you every day, or talk to you everyday, but I think of you and love you everyday.” So Abigail, Sophia, Ella and Ben, here's a big sloppy hug from Grandpa saying, “I love you a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck.”