Childhood

The word childhood to me brings back memories of Doyle Road.  There we had leaf houses, trash can swimming pools, mattress gymnastics, backyard baseball or kick ball and child-run theater.  We also raised a baby bird, hatched close to 50 snapping turtle eggs, and ran our first business, a bakery called TED's.   My favorite tree was on Doyle Road; it had the perfect branch for me to climb up, snuggle in and read my latest book. And the lilac bush "fort", and the grape vine "woods" - so many fun memories.  A smile comes to my face whenever I think about it.  To go back to that place would feel like home.  If only it was place instead of a wrinkle in time.

While it's hard to pick just one of these memories, the goal today is to write of one, only one.  So hard to choose, but I can always come back to another one, on another day.  I choose TED's.

The year was probably 1991 or '92.  I had to have been at least 11, actually I'll say 1992, because if I was any less than 12, we wouldn't have been able to make deliveries.  (I couldn't ride my bike on the road until I was 12 - funny how at least 2 younger siblings were allowed to come with me.)  Making chocolate chip cookies at my childhood home was as common as apple juice (meaning it was almost a daily occurrence.)  I think I had the recipe memorized by age 10.  This Summer my friend Danielle and I decided to share our delicious creations with the neighborhood, for a price (which escapes me all these years later). 

First we had to come up with a name.  I can't remember what names were suggested but I know why we settled on TED's - Theresa Erin Danielle.  I also remember being a horrid big sister and telling Erin that she wasn't really a part of our business plan; we were just using her name so our business name would work.  I don't think she really cared because I know she did end up helping to make the cookies and deliver them.  After coming up with a name we made order pamphlets, I believe on Danielle's computer. (She was the cool kid with a computer AND The Oregon Trail game!)

After we had our pamphlets we went door-to-door in our neighborhood taking orders for a dozen chocolate chip or a dozen sugar cookies.  Delivery day would be on Saturday, I recall this specifically because I remember even back then counting in my head how many days we would have to make the dozens of cookies that were sure to be ordered.  We ended up with only a few dozen chocolate chip cookies to make and I was relieved about that for some reason.

On Saturday we made fresh chocolate chip cookies and packaged them in baggies.  We had 3 deliveries to make - the Zink's, Mr Goloski's, and the Darling's.  I was so excited about delivering to the Darling's house.  The Zink's we saw often, and Mr Goloski lived right next door.  The Darling's  house was beautiful with a long, smooth driveway (AND their name was right out of Peter Pan!)  I have no memory of the people living there, only the house, the name, and the story in my head.  

With money in our pockets and deliveries done we continued on our bikes down to Olive Road.  It was a newer road - freshly paved and so smooth.  We loved ridding our bikes up and down the road, wind blowing through my hair as I traveled the flat, level surface.  Turning towards home, I was already thinking up the next idea. (TED's was a short-lived business that lasted that week alone, but we were kids, and had so much more to do!)