Lucy in the sky with walnuts

First thing you should know is that brown walnuts are initially encased by a green shell. Once the brown shell is cracked, the walnuts inside are a stark white, and peeling them will leave your hands dyed yellow for days on end. (...Now you've got something for the incoming dinner party).

They grow on sturdy walnut trees that stretch far up into the sky. The best - read: most boring - way to reach them is to grab a decently sized ladder, a pair of non-slip shoes, and a dream.

The most exciting way to reach them - read: also reasonably dangerous - is to slip off your socks, tie up your hair, and start scaling the walnut tree trunks and branches.

Once you’ve managed to scout the right climbing path, you’re on your merry way.

The higher you climb, the more your heart will pound. One hand and one foot must always be on stable ground, while the other hand and foot seek unexplored territory to hoist yourself onto.

Caution: there will be a point when the dog will sniff you out among the burdock and start barking up the tree, presumably confusing cats and humans - do not let this give you pause. In fact, take pride that your guard dog can so accurately identify moving objects, even if they are in the same household (that aside, how to train your dog is a whole other piece).

Second point of caution: baby caterpillars will land on you and start inching across your body like the Great Pilgrimage to Mecca. That being said, they're preparing to turn into a wholly different object soon, so try to cut them some slack, much like your discombobulated guard dog.

As you scale the winding, shadowy branches past the roof (in dire need of cleaning, and how long has that plastic bag been there for??), a wide panorama of the town will whisper between the bushels of leaves. With the right head tilt or back arch, you'll be able to see rows of corn, wheat, and potatoes divided by neighbours’ gates. You’ll see groups of cows on the pasture, and even the small blue dot of a lake you and your cousins swim in. With every stretch, you feel like you’re the closest in town to the sky.

At this point, this realization may jumpstart your heart, reminding you of the body that you are in and just how simultaneously far and close the ground is.

Instead, start collecting handfuls of walnuts, as green and large as you can find them. Reach out and grab them off their thin branches. Some need to be tugged harder, others will fall away and into your palms. Collect as many as you can, filling up the buckets and your pockets.

Then, after you've unburdened the branches, start to climb down the tree. This time, you'll be eager to get down fast. Your feet will confidently seek the same path in reverse, your eyes will have already adapted to the darkness found beneath the heart of the tree, underneath the sheltering leaves. You'll eagerly await the warmth of the sun on your skin.

You'll run to show grandma the results of the climb. She'll smile, grab her hammer, and start to work on peeling the walnuts. She'll remove the green peel before cracking open the brown case with a practiced hand. You'll both peel the thin, yellow layer covering the white walnuts before popping them into your mouths.

After you’ve eaten, her hands will stain yellow from the peeling. They’ll stay yellow for a whole week, reminding you of your calm summer afternoon.

Later in the day, she’ll lay out the walnuts on a burlap sack in the attic. Once fall and winter come around, they’ll turn as brown as the ones you can find in grocery stores, and they’ll remind you of today, the day you spent as the closest to the sky.