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.”

Grandkids

Grandkids

After years of responsibility and worry raising our four children, now comes the parade of four wonderful, healthy, intelligent and good looking grandkids. Am I bragging? Yes I am.

Abigail is our first grandchild. She is seven going on thirteen and ready to start the second grade in the fall. She was born in Minnesota but she has a Montana heart for sure. Just to see her run, jump and smile is a delight. She is smart and doesn’t let grandpa get by with much.

Ella is five and a native Montana girl. She is a little shy with strangers but her million-dollar smile melts my heart. She is so excited to start kindergarten this fall in the same school with Abby. Watch out boys, Ella is going to steal your heart.

Then there is Sophia; an Oregon girl. Now here is a girl that has a mind of her own. She just turned four and can talk your ear off. She can drive the riding lawnmower, read books to the chickens she is raising and run like a wild woman. The look in her eyes will make you think twice before saying No.

Ben is two and a native Montanan. With that bushy blond hair you can’t help but want to hug him. He is into everything but particularly likes knobs, switches, buttons and anything that responds to his touch. He is fast afoot and when he hears the word “no”, he has a fit! A real boy: noise with dirt on it.

I confess it is getting harder to keep up with these grandkids but Judy and I love them. They are indeed a blessing from the Lord. Here’s what God’s Word says: “Old people are distinguished by grandchildren…and a good life gets passed on to the grandchildren.”

Now I have to go find a grandkid to hug!