The Impromptu Family Picnic

I was thinking back in time when our family was young, and we were always thinking of things to do as a family. My husband decided that it was a great day to have a picnic in the park on a hot July day. Let’s be clear…his idea of a family picnic was to have fried chicken and potato salad. I am talking about “home-fried” chicken, and “homemade” potato salad!—That was in the days before Chick-fil-A, Sonic, or any other quick, pick-up food to go.

So, I proceeded to the kitchen. I gathered ingredients and started the process of cooking the potatoes needed for potato salad. I seemed to have had chicken available for frying! As you know, both chicken and potatoes require quite a process for final edible food—lots of pans, grease, knives, bowls, and flour everywhere!

By late afternoon, I had the food cooked and ready to pack for our impromptu family picnic. We loaded up and headed to the park. We had a leisurely family togetherness. We ate. The kids played on the swings and the slide. Evening came, and we went home.

It was before we had an iPhone, and we didn’t carry a camera with us every time we left the house—there are no photos to remind us of our special family outing.

What I do remember is that my husband was anxious to get to the park… he said we could clean the kitchen when we returned home…oh yes!

If you have ever fried chicken, you know what happens when you deal with flour, grease, hot stove temperature, and the heat of a midsummer day. Because, in those days, our air conditioning consisted of a window unit that was not all that great. It only cooled you if you stood in front of it!

Needless to say, I never agreed to do another impromptu family picnic with home-fried chicken again!

I will gladly stop by a Quick Stop store for a quick, easy family picnic any day, and I will probably have my iPhone for a few family memories.

Hope you have a great summer of family fun— and do it the easy way!