Sallie the truck’s namesake is from my grandmom, my dad’s mom. I believe we honor the people we love by allowing them to live through our stories or by naming VW trucks after them. This is Sallie to me.
I would describe Sallie as tenacious, inventive, and determined, exactly the traits I would hope to have myself at the start of Blooms and Wishes. Sallie spent most of her life in Reading, Pennsylvania, a blue collar community about 60 miles outside of Philadelphia. Her husband Russ, was a truck driver which provided for the family, but required the inventive nature of Sallie to make ends meet. They struggled with this their entire lives, but rarely complained.
When I visited, Sallie showed her love to me with food. She could afford treats and treats were always the cornerstone of a visit. We always had fresh baked goods from the local Amish community in Lancaster County; whoopie pies, shoo fly pie, apple butter. Sallie made meat and cheese trays filled with local deli items and often splurged for Italian sandwiches. If I try hard enough, the smell of the Pennsylvania sub shop comes back to me- if only for a fleeting moment. It is like a wisp of childhood.
Sallie also showed her love through holiday gifting. She worked all year to fill the holidays with gifts for all of her children and grandchildren. It was amazing how far she could stretch what little she had. We often received couponed items like t-shirts from the Kellogg’s company or a Pilsbury Dough Boy doll- each one painstakingly collected through rebate forms, UPC labels, and cash register receipts all meticulously organized.
Sallie the truck allows me to remember Sallie the human, possibly thank her again for all those times I didn’t, honor her spirit, and embrace her heart. She is likely where I inherited my love of flowers. Stay tuned….if I get the opportunity for truck #2…..it will be named Dottie. Another person for another moment.