When I was a kid, my grandma had a seemingly endless supply of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum in her pocketbook. A stick of Juicy Fruit has a refreshing fruity flavor that lasts for approximately 22.5 seconds. Nonetheless, I enjoyed being offered a piece and did my best to make the flavor last before blowing bubbles until it was too stiff to chew.

I’ve been thinking a lot about her lately. My purse is about as disorganized as her pocketbook always was and there’s usually some gum lurking in there. Although, mine is always something minty and never Juicy Fruit.

Grandma didn’t drive so my mother typically took her to the grocery store when I was small. I often was offered a stick of gum while I hung out in the back seat of their car or slid around on the backseat of our family station wagon. This was back before seat belts were a big deal, of course. That leather seat was blazing hot in the summer and slick as could be the rest of the year, leaving me bouncing off the seat when we hit a bump and holding on tight as we took the curves.

We always went to a nearby town to hit a couple of grocery stores, a local bakery and a few other places. She liked going to more than one grocery store to get the buys and to find the products she wanted. I do that too.

Lunch often came from the Dairy Queen where we would get a Full Meal Deal – a sandwich, fries, drink AND sundae! That was a bargain and a treat. Now we call it the DQ. I drive by often but never think to go there. After all, they serve your Blizzard upside down but they don’t have the Full Meal Deal anymore.

Earlier this week I made boiled potatoes for dinner. These were a staple on her table and, as it turns out, a taste of my childhood. Every time I make them I simultaneously wonder why I don’t do it more often and why they taste so amazing. Really, if you want to eat a potato that tastes like the most potatoe-y of all the potatoes, just drop it in a pot of boiling water. I have vivid memories of my grandpa smashing a potato on his plate so that it was fluffy and soft. Now I take my time doing the same and enjoying the heat and the delectable smell of such a simple pleasure.

Last night I had to stop at the store to pick up something for my parents and was delighted to see Juicy Fruit flavored bubble gum on the rack at the check out. I bought a pack, tore it open and enjoyed popping bubbles as I headed down memory lane. I’ll put the pack in my purse and maybe pull out a piece and think of her the next time I go for a drive. While the flavor may not last long, the memories are forever.