Picnic food is some of the best. When I was growing up, we had many picnics. Many of them were informal, organized at the spur of the moment. When that happened, we were most often at my aunt and uncle’s cottage on Lake Erie.

The cottage itself was nothing to write home about. It was a one-room floor plan with a porch on the front of it. There was an outhouse that sat across the bridge from the main structure. I might add here that it was very well maintained and was not smelly at all.

What fun we had at that cottage! When we were young, we waited for the adults to take us down some stairs to go swimming in the lake. If I stayed overnight my aunt gave us a bar of soap to take to the lake with us to wash off. There was no running water either. We did not worry about that kind of stuff in those days. We just enjoyed playing there.

When we were all older, we often walked the beach to the state park. It was just a short distance via the beach. It was a nice walk on a cool night.

I remember a teeter totter of sorts. We had a lot of fun on that. We picked wild flowers. There were a lot of sweet peas around the cottage for us to pick. When the whole family was there, we took some of the furniture from the porch and brought it outside. My grandparents and Bob’s parents needed places to sit. I recall my great-grandfather being there as well.

We set up impromptu tables to eat by. My aunt often brought no-bake chocolate cookies. They were so good. Now I realize why that was a favorite recipe for her. She could get it ready in minutes and the kitchen did not warm up either.

Sometimes we took hot dogs and hamburgers to cook on the grill. Sometimes we took sandwich fixings. Whatever there was to eat, we all ate well. My grandmother often made potato salad. I have her recipe but I have tweaked it a bit. Now I add the Miracle Whip while the potatoes are hot. It seems to mix the flavors better. She always added eggs to hers and whatever vegetables she had on hand.

My children and I recently discussed what we did on the Fourth of July. We did not do much. I remember taking a roll of caps and hitting them with a rock to hear them pop. Sometimes we had sparklers. Often there was a band concert at night before the fireworks.

When I was young, I never thought about the dogs and what fireworks did to them. They were just pretty to watch. Now that I have a finicky dog who hates the loud noises I am concerned. We got through the holiday without much fanfare. He seemed to hear the booms, but did not panic like he used to. I do not think he hears as well as he used to so that certainly contributes.

Once I got married, we did not participate in the Fourth activities either. Usually, we were haying. We operated two farms together so there was plenty to do.

We had a lot of farm picnics. Wherever the men were working we gathered and each contributed food. I recall pulling the children up the road in the little red wagon to go to my sister-in-law’s for supper. Luckily, I got a ride back home when the men were done.

We also had picnics when we went to pick cherries and blueberries. Once the coolers were empty my father-in-law insisted on filling them with fruit. We always came home with a lot of fruit to can and to make into pies. I never minded the preservation process. If we made extra pies, we popped them into the freezer. I usually froze the filling in a pie pan, then popped it out and froze it. That way I could get my pie pans back to use again.

It is certainly fun to reminisce about days gone by. Life is much different today. Don and I used to watch the parade at his house over the cable. Usually, we had picnic food to eat. Sometimes we went out for our meal. Once the cable was disconnected, we just stayed at home. Sometimes the children and grandchildren came up for a picnic.

I recall one of Carly’s boyfriends asking me if he could chop the onions. He said he had to do it at work so her was happy to do it. At our next picnic Carly told me I would have to chop the onions myself because he was no longer around.

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell, Pa. Contact at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.