Thank God it’s Monday, again. I always look forward to every Monday. They’re my 52 Chances a year, in which I get to share Memories of My Mom with you. Therefore, have a happy Monday.
One popular New Year’s resolution, which my husband and I both made for this year, is to travel more. Years ago, instead of having a date night once a week, we resolved to have a monthly date weekend, exploring and sightseeing different Michigan towns. We weren’t able to keep doing it that year for family reasons but we want to get back to it.
During Michigan’s favorable camping months, May to October, we love staying in different Michigan State Campgrounds or county campgrounds and discovering the surrounding area’s hidden jewels. In the summer months, when vacations happen most, I’ve found that it wasn’t easy to make last minute reservations in most places. Thus, now I plan ahead.
Speaking of which… Did you know that Saturday is National Plan for Vacation Day? This observance is intended to encourage all of us to plan our time off for the rest of the year at the beginning of the year. Based on some of my experiences, that’s a wise idea.
It’s never too early to plan a trip – regardless of when it will be or how long it will be. Planning ahead and making lists are right up my alley, as I’m a little OCD about some things – my family calls it CDO because I like things alphabetized (or in numerical order or the like).
According to an AI Overview, “the most commonly forgotten items… are toiletries (like toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo) and phone chargers, followed closely by medication, sunglasses, sunscreen, and underwear/socks… and basic first-aid supplies.”
The “experts” all suggest that over-packing is a top-10 mistake that travelers make. How much you pack is totally up to you. Personally, if I have the room, I’d rather take the “extras”. I’ve found that it’s better to have it and not need it than to need/want it and not have it.
We don’t have a camper, as Mom and Dad did, but we have some large tents and a lot of camping gear that’s suited for “comfort camping”. I’ve been told I’m a nester. I like to make wherever we stay feel like home. I’ve also been known to use a little Feng Shui and move furniture around in the cabins or motel rooms, where we’ve stayed, to make it feel more “zen”.
Years ago, I developed a “comfort camping” checklist (pictured above) for what I like to pack and take on vacation that I’ve shared before. I can easily modify it for motel or cabin stays during the late fall to early spring seasons. I can also modify it for a day trip or picnic.
ADVICE FOR HOW TO PLAN A VACATION
- To begin, if you don’t already have one, I suggest making a bucket list of travel goals.
- Then plan how much time you can take for your vacation(s). Be sure to choose the right season(s) for your destination(s) then mark it/them on your calendar.
- Next, decide what you want to see and do. It’s very helpful to create a flexible itinerary with a prioritized list of activities – including how long they’ll possibly take and what they’ll cost. Form a budget plan for time and money.
- Make any necessary reservations as early as possible. After all, as the old adage says, “the early bird gets the worm.”
- Compose a checklist of things you’ll want/need to take, including a laundry bag and those other items (mentioned above) that are part of your daily routine and, thus, often forgotten.
There was an annual group canoe trip, in Sterling (MI), that my husband and I used to go on, in late July or early August, with a bunch of friends. I’d taken over planning it for the group during the last five years, as my friend, who was doing it, got too busy with kids and other things.
After a few decades, the group’s size had dwindled down so far we decided last year to end the tradition. Now I’m planning ahead for this year, as my husband and I want to go camping and kayaking along different Michigan rivers. As NationalDayCalendar.com suggests, we’re making this the year to focus on our bucket list more than our to-do list.
In last week’s blog post, regarding National Michigan Day, I wrote: “Whenever my husband and I take a vacation, we always stay somewhere in Michigan. It’s such a big state and there’s still so much we haven’t seen yet. I have a growing bucket list of map dots for us to explore and experience.”
Many decades ago, when my children were very young, I learned about camping (in a tent) from some church friends. It was an inexpensive way to go on vacation with three kids. Through experience, came knowledge. I often learned cool “glamping” hacks from other campers whenever we went camping with a group. Camping with friends is so much fun!
When I was young, our family always stayed in motels when we went on vacations. We never camped. “Roughing it” was when the power went out for a week (at home), during a winter/spring ice storm. We used flashlights and candles for light and the living room fireplace was used for heat and cooking.
My parents didn’t start “camping” until after they became empty-nesters. Mom’s older sister, Hazel, and her husband, Chris, talked them into buying a camper and joining the Good Sam [RV] Club. They, themselves, were members of Good Sam’s California chapter.
Mom and Dad happily joined Good Sam Club’s Michigan AND Ohio chapters. Joining was one of their most favorite life experiences. While on the road, they usually ate in local restaurants. Mom never stopped looking for different dishes to try and imitate when she returned home.
By the way, Wednesday is, among other things, National Have Fun At Work Day. As Mark Twain famously said, “Find a job you enjoy doing and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” Mom loved to mix fun and work together, whether she was shopping or on vacation or something else.
“NEEDLESS TO SAY, I can’t wait until we can begin our ‘motor-home camping’ again with our Good Sam friends. It’s our weekend vacation pleasure, May through October. Becoming part of the Good Sam organization is the best thing that has ever happened to us, where we could both enjoy mutual friendships and activities. Wonderful, caring people, who constantly remind us that ‘there are no strangers in Good Sam – only friends we haven’t met, yet!'” – Gloria Pitzer, as seen in… “GOOD SAM – CARING AND CAMPING”, from Gloria Pitzer’s Secret RecipesTM Newsletter (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; May-June 1987, 126th issue, p. 3)]
Those vacation times were the first things that Mom and Dad put on their calendars every new year. Their trips always re-energized them and they made so many wonderful friends through Good Sam, too.
Mom had many scrap books full of photos and special keepsakes from all of their vacations. She also wrote about her and Dad’s trips throughout most of her spring, summer, and fall newsletters – especially regarding the great dishes and friendships they found everywhere they went – like treasures at the end of rainbows.
Every December I get several calendars for the new year, each of which is for planning different things from nightly dinners to monthly bills to special events like vacations, birthdays, anniversaries, parties, and appointments. There are so many things for which to plan each year. Like my parents, vacations are the first things I put on my new calendars.
NationalDayCalendar.com claims that “vacation travel is valuable and necessary for strengthening personal relationships, inspiring creative thinking, improving professional performance, and promoting better health.” Vacations are known to boost our dopamine production.
Supposedly, there are five basic objectives for vacations: sightseeing, escaping (temporarily), relaxing, relationship-building, and personal growth. In fact, for most people, vacations and day trips have the remarkable ability to revitalize us, reducing our stress and anxiety.
Research shows that exercise and other physical activities (whether at home or on vacation) improves mental function, health, and overall wellness. Therefore, getting in a nature hike, going swimming, or the like should be included in your vacation’s agenda. My husband and I love nature hikes.
Mom was the one who planned all of our family vacations, as she continued to do so when it was just her and Dad. I have many great, childhood memories of our family vacations in some of Michigan’s famous small town tourist destinations like Traverse City, Tahquamenon Falls, Sault Ste. Marie, Mackinaw City, and Mackinac Island.
Other Michigan jewels included Alpena, Oscoda, and Tawas. Not too long ago, HGTV declared that Houghton (in Michigan’s U.P.) was the best small town in Michigan. That was one of my parents’ favorite “map dots”, too.
FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…
As seen in…
This is not a Cook Book! It’s Gloria Pitzer’s Food for Thought (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Oct. 1986, p. 12)
BACK TO BASICS
SOMETIMES THE FAMILIAR becomes very boring to us and all of the things we thought of as providing comfort and security, begin to get us down and we really want to get away. Getting away – for even a little while is just the ticket – but as Wilford Peterson wrote in the following essay, it’s the coming home again that counts!
THE FUN OF COMING HOME by Wilfred Peterson, as quoted in Sunshine Magazine (date unknown)
“ONE OF THE GREATEST rewards of a vacation trip is the fun of coming home again. After a time away, home takes on a new radiance. There are so many things we are eager to see once more: the jumping, tail-wagging greeting from our dog at the kennel.
The relaxation of sitting down in a favorite chair; the bliss of sinking into your own, comfortable bed and reaching for a book on the bedside table – we have a new appreciation of everything.
And then there is the expectation of the new… the accumulation of mail, which we open eagerly for news of loved ones and friends and the stacks of magazines. It is almost like Christmas! We wade right in and even the bills can’t stop us!
We look for everything to be changed, but it is good to find all the old dependable values are intact. It is worth journeying far and wide to discover the fun of coming home again!”
LAST THOUGHTS…
Thanks for visiting! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my memories of my mom, her memories, and other related things. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at therecipedetective@outlook.com. You can also find me on Facebook: @TheRecipeDetective.
IN CLOSING…
In honor of TODAY, being National Peanut Brittle Day, here’s Mom’s secret recipe for a 5-ingredient “Peanut Brittle”; as seen in… Gloria Pitzer’s Secret Recipes Newsletter (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Nov.-Dec. 1992, p. 9). As always, I’m asking only for proper credit if you care to re-share it.
P.S. Food-for-thought until next Monday…
The month of January observes… National Blood Donor Month, National Hobby Month, National Hot Tea Month, National Mentoring Month, National Oatmeal Month, National Slow Cooking Month, National Soup Month, National Sunday Supper Month, and more.
The fourth week of January (25th-31st, for 2026) observes, among other things… Tax Identity Theft Week.
Today is also… National Green Juice Day and National Spouses Day. Plus, as the last Monday of January (2026), it’s also… National Bubble Wrap Day.
Tomorrow is… National Chocolate Cake Day.
January 28th is… National Blueberry Pancake Day. Plus, as the fourth Wednesday in January (2026), it’s also… National Library Shelfie Day.
Thursday, January 29th, is… National Corn Chip Day and National Puzzle Day.
Friday, January 30th, is… National Croissant Day.
January 31st is… National Backward Day, National Hot Chocolate Day, and National Inspire Your Heart With Art Day. Plus, as the last Saturday in January (2026), it’s also… National Seed Swap Day.
Sunday kicks off the month of February, which celebrates… National Fasting February, Black History Month, National Canned Food Month, National Creative Romance Month, National Great American Pies Month, National Bake for Family Fun Month, National Bird Feeding Month, National Cherry Month, National Grapefruit Month, National Hot Breakfast Month, National Library Lover’s Month, National Snack Food Month, and National Weddings Month, among other things.
February 1st is also… National Baked Alaska Day, National Freedom Day, National Get Up Day, and National Texas Day. Plus, African Heritage and Health Week is always February 1st-7th. Additionally, as the start of the first full week of February (for 2026), it’s also the start of… Burn Awareness Week.
Have a great week!
…4 down, 48 to go.
