After I wrote the title for today’s newsletter, I realized that it only means something to a small group of people. But I’ll bet you have a dad or mom, a grandma or grandpa, someone in your family that had a pair of pants that was used for one particular purpose. A go-to pair for mowing the yard or going fishing, or in our case, going crabbing.
Back when you could actually find blue crabs in Tampa Bay, going crabbing was a monthly adventure for our family. It was always fun, and the feast afterwards was always tasty. I count myself lucky that in my family, claw-crackers and meat-pickers were a staple part of our silverware set.
When crabbing night arrived, it was time for Dad to get out his special pants. I don’t know the original occasion that made these pants a part of his wardrobe, but by this time (early 80s) they had been relegated to a spot in the shed outside. When it was time to put them on, I’m pretty sure they just walked right over to him, since they never did seem to make it to the washing machine. But whenever those houndstooth-print pants came out, I could taste the blue crabs.
The other day, a new outfit arrived in the mailbox for Kim. She was excited about it, so she put it on to show us. The second she walked out, my eyes got big. I chuckled and said, “You bought crabbing pants.” I have since learned that was not the appropriate response. But these pants are the exact pattern, down to a red stripe woven in, as my dad’s old crabbing pants. I backpedaled and tried to stammer out something like, “Wow, those are so stylish and look great on you.” I think I managed to recover, but they are still crabbing pants.
A few days later, my dad came over, and Kim brought out the pants to show him. The second he saw them he said the same thing as I did. “Well, those look like my old crabbing pants.” It just goes to show you that styles make a comeback every few decades. And Kim has a very fashion-forward pair of pants if we ever go crabbing again.
Between the breeze and the ever-so-slightly lower humidity this week, it almost felt like it was time to get out some pants and a long-sleeved shirt. These temps are always short-lived this time of the year, but to me it is a sign of hope. Hope for a change of seasons. And even if the weather won’t give us the fall we are dreaming of, we can make it happen. Today a huge load of pumpkins is supposed to arrive, and we’ll be busy getting the pumpkin patch ready for its October debut. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram for some sneak peeks.
And with that first hint of cooler weather comes fall veggie season. There is no better project for getting the whole family involved than planting a veggie garden together and when everyone has worked in the garden it makes the veggies taste a whole lot better. So put on your special pair of pants reserved just for when you’re going to get dirty and get outside to have some fall fun in the garden.
