The day I thought I would die from thirst!

                                     

     If it wasn’t 115 degrees it was close! I wasn’t in Texas or Death valley. I wasn’t alone either, if misery loves company…I was with good company and we were all miserable!

It happened in the summer of either 74 or 75. I probably use to remember the year, but that memory has melted from my cranium!

I know where I was, I was in South Carolina. I remember who I was with…My dad, my brother Mike and our sister Michelle. My mom escaped this adventure she was at work!  Blessed woman!

I know what I wish I wasn’t doing at the time…picking peaches!

South Carolina has incredible produce, and the peaches are delicious. We went to an orchard, to pick if I remember right (And remember my melted memory condition) "just" a few bushels of peaches.

I know what you’re thinking how difficult can that be? That depends! Are you with someone who wants to get in, get it done and go home? Or are you being supervised (Think watched like a hawk) by the pickiest peach picker  in them there parts?

As you may have surmised with your scintillating and UN-melted brain…dad was the latter. And we went up the ladders, in that orchard to pick peaches under his ever vigilant gaze!

We did not bring any water! Not a drop. There was no water in sight. He wanted us to examine (Think a forensic observation) each peach before it could be put into the wide open waiting bushel baskets. If there was even the slightest bruise…it was not to be plucked. If you did pick a bad peach, and he caught you,  it was not a good thing Ha Ha!

Well what do dehydrated South Carolina Peach Pickers do to satisfy their need for hydration, when there is no H2O available?

You eat peaches! You eat peaches like peach eating is the grandest experience of life! I ate (we) ate so many juicy fuzzy peaches, I felt like I was turning into one!

At last, the last fuzzy acceptable, non bruised peach made its way into the baskets. By the way when dad was distracted by Mike or Shells peach picking peculiarities…I picked and threw in the basket every peach I could reach!

We paid for our peaches, and pleaded for a soda, when He stopped at a store we drank them so fast, we needed more! We were like the alien who landed at a soft drink company and said 'take me to your liter!

Well as you can guess I am still here, I still love peaches (Not as much) and look back with laughter on the day I thought I would die from thirst! My mom, I now remember didn’t go, because she would later can our collection of those fuzzy spheres!

Dad and Shell are now with the Lord, and one day, Mom, Mike and I will join them and we will reminisce about that day…hopefully by the river of life!

I pray your there, and after we recall that day, let’s go swimming, then sit on the bank and eat a peach!