When I sat at my desk to write this article, I thought about traditional picnics – the ones with the blue or red checkered tablecloth, a cute basket to hold all the good stuff, little containers and bags filled with wonderfully tasty things like fried chicken, potato salad, watermelon, potato chips (an absolute must in my book), lemonade, plastic utensils, paper plates, and plenty of napkins (which you chase regularly!).
I also thought about my childhood picnics. They were sort of a big deal in my family – a chance to enjoy delicious food, eat with our hands, and be out in the fresh air. I especially remember those olive & pimiento sandwiches made with mustard, lettuce, tomato, and, of course, a big help of my mom’s macaroni salad — you know, the one with the bits of hard-boiled egg, a little mustard, mayo, and lots of celery and minced onion (mom sometimes even put sliced green olives) — so good.
My dad liked to find a sturdy/clean bench for our picnics, but I preferred hanging out on a blanket on the ground. That was more ‘picnic-y’ in my book. For that, we used his heavy wool, green Army blanket because it was perfect for preventing sticks, bugs, and dirt from poking through.
As kids, a picnic offered my brother and me a sense of adventure, because we didn’t really know what mom had packed, so we anxiously awaited the unveiling. And for some reason, we were immediately hungry when we arrived at our spot, even if we had recently eaten! I guess there’s something about fresh air that makes a person want to eat.
A ‘traditional’ picnic is awesome. But a picnic, in whatever form, can actually happen anywhere. As a matter of fact, for this article’s photo shoot, one happened right in my very own backyard! If you haven’t tried it yet, a backyard is a great place for a picnic because you can simply toss down a blanket and you don’t need to fight traffic to get somewhere. And if you run out of something, you just dash into the house to get more. I like that!
