The Smell of Money

So, Thomas was to stay with my parents for 2 weeks! He was all super-excited to see them last Friday! He woke up one day last week and told me "Mommy, is today the day LJ comes home?" I thought it was because he was missing his big brother and replied with "Not today, TomTom, but tomorrow. Why, do you miss him?" I laughed at his reply, "Naw, I just wanna go home with Nanny and Papaw for two months!" Two months is the same as two weeks, two days, two years, two minutes and two seconds to a four year old! So, I chuckled, gave him a smooch and told him "Soon, TomTom, soon."

Well, Nanny and Papaw arrived on Friday evening and he was all "I'm staying at your house for TWO YEARS" Of course, Dad played that one up "Two years! WOW! We can do a lot in TWO years" I, of course, just shook my head!

So, off they go on Saturday afternoon for his TWO YEARS with Nanny and Papaw and his 'friends (aka cousins). . . LJ was home from his 2 WEEKS with them, and we were enjoying our time together with just him, as we had enjoyed our time together with just Thomas (sometimes it is good to spoil 'em that way:)

Well, Tom called on Tuesday evening, all sad and almost in tears, "Mommy, I want you to come get me right now! I wanna go home now!" Now, he has stayed with my parents before, for up to 6 days at at time, and he'd only been there for 3 nights! I was kind of shocked! Well, ok I was actually floored. So I tried reasoning with him that we'd come get him this weekend and he just was not having anything to do with it! So, I'm glad I was off this week, as well as Eluides. We packed up the backpack and headed down to ol Hartford City. . . .

There is always something about the drive into town that I enjoy. . . My roots callin' me home or something. . . as we were getting closer, someone was burning wood of some sort (maybe it was leaves) and, of course, like any insane person, I enjoy the smell of a wood fire burning. Maybe it reminds me of roasting marshmallows or something, but I like it. . . So, we were in the car with my husband and oldest asleep, and I was belting out some country tunes, and I was sniffing the air remembering childhood days . . . and I guess I sniffed TOO hard because the next thing I know, I am no longer sniffing a fire, but good ol country air! Also know in this family as "the smell of money" Yeah, yeah, it was the smell of manure! So, I stopped sniffing so hard and smiled. . . Oh yeah, I was going home! Just like the smell of wood fire, the smell of pig pooppoop brings back memories from childhood. It's not that I LIKE the smell of manure, but growing up in a country area, well, you get used to it! I'll never forget the time that my husband was teaching at my old high school -- a few miles away is a large pig farm! LOL He, being a city boy, was not used to the smell on a good, warm, humid day! It was rather funny :)

It's odd how scents can just slam me back into time. . . And generally, I love those trips back!