My favorite place has always been my grandmother's house. This is the place I should go before and after school. I always loved my grandmother's house because it made me feel safe and warm. There was the smell of coffee in the air at all times. It seemed like my grandmother was just making coffee. If I smell coffee, I immediately think of my grandmother's house. My grandmother's house was always full of people. I remember sitting in a chair and watching her do her hair. She would take a hot comb and straighten her clients' hair. The smell of burning hair lingered in the house for days. The house was old. My grandmother lived there most of her life. The house was white with black trim, but most of the paint was peeling on the back porch and there was always firewood. No matter if it was winter, spring, summer or fall, there would always be firewood on the porch. The house had one of those old heaters that used firewood. I remember putting wood in the radiator and taking a poker to fan the flames. It was the closest I ever got to playing with fire. I was very excited and always volunteered to light the fire. In the summer we played near the pond behind the house. It looked more like a swamp than a pond. The pond was black as night and was home to snakes, tadpoles, frogs and fish. We would go to the pond to catch tadpoles and fish. When night fell, we would run around and catch fireflies. We also helped plant peas, collard greens and corn in the area. The corn grew like a forest! I remember running through the corn and playing hide and seek. Even after all the fun I had, picking vegetables and shelling peas wasn't my favorite part. On Sunday, grandmother prepared a big Sunday dinner. Everyone was expected to come to her house after church. The men were in the living room, watching television while the women cooked. They cooked chicken, collard greens, peas and