The Best Lowfat, Low Calorie Dessert Ever or The Grandchildren Come To Visit

Patrick and Megan came up for a visit to my house these last 4 days. Two of my oldest grandchildren, at 15 and 14, they are delightful still! I was their first babysitter. We lived in the same town then so both of them would come and stay with me, many times overnight. Both of them were gentle souls who were willing to do crazy things with Gram!

There was dress-up with my stash of costumes in the basement closets, puppet shows, hot-tubbing on the back deck, going on picture taking outings, picnics, washing the dogs, playing and singing around the piano, fire-fly catching, swinging on the back yard tire swing, eating fresh picked black raspberries on our yogurt. One fall, after I got interested in making "arty" videos, I helped the two of them, at ages 5 and 6, make a video for their mom and dad's Christmas present. They won a state award that year with it.

At least 4 summers found me taking them on camping trips around the country. There was a trip to Aunt Mo's in the North Carolina mountains. Their mom had packed lots of activities in trays and bins for them, and they were buckled in for the trip. From Michigan to North Carolina is not an easy trip for two little ones, but there wasn't a cross word the whole time in the back. Pat was fascinated with the French Broad River that we seemed to be snaking over. Still having his baby lisp, he questioned if that was the Fwench Bwaud every time we went over a bridge. Megan chatted happily about everything she saw, including the "foggy mountain dew" we kept seeing. Clad in ice cream stained shirts, they were lifted out of their seats and onto their floor pallets at destination's end.

Another trip was a trek to Williamsburg, and the Smithsonian. I had made each one a colonial costume to wear at Williamsburg. It was the hottest day of the summer. Monica and I could hardly stand to have on our skimpy clothes, but they insisted on wearing their costumes. Over the course of the two days there, other visitors to the village frequently came up to them and asked them how they got a job there, they being so young and all!

Four years ago we met my daughter and their cousin Marcus, for a camping trip on the Illinois side of the Mississippi, just above St. Louis. It was unbearably hot that week too, and the humidity was at least 100 %! But we stuck it out bravely, even swimming the Big Muddy. But after 4 days, we broke down and went to an air-conditioned hotel complete with swimming pool, which they lived in for the rest of the time.

Mackinac Island was our last adventure. Though I was still using a walker from having knee surgery, I still managed to drive the car to our destination. They had to bike around the island by themselves, though I joined them at the forts. This time it was the history that caught their interest.

They have come up to visit my forest home for 1 or 2 days in the last 2 years, but their teen age years are filled with friends and activities they long to be part of. Soon they will be working and then off to college. My times with them are almost gone.

So these four days I count as jewels this summer! The bait was an ABBA Bjorn Again concert at Interlochen. Megan, being a consummate musician already, can enjoy any music. Last year it was a Josh Groban concert there. She's easy to please, and I've already got tickets for us for Ladysmith Black Mombasa and Sweet Honey in the Rock for later this summer. But Patrick was satisfied with the concert too as they played a KISS selection too.

Patrick set up the target across the bridge, and shot up a whole case of 22 shells. Megan played music on the grand, and we went to the beach which also featured a jazz concert that night. As Megan has gotten interested in photography from a class she took, I gave her my 35mm camera, with plenty of lenses and filters. She was busy taking pictures every day.

But Patrick is the dessert cook! Last time he was here, we discovered a wonderful recipe from a friend, and Patrick made the blueberry version over and over. His mother told me it was a weekly event at their house for months after. This time we got fresh strawberries at the local farm. I had the other ingredients on hand. Pat made it two times and I do declare it is the best low calorie dessert there is! Grandpa Jack is a diabetic, and he ate his entire share!

Here's the approximate recipe. You may improvise all you want!