--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As she began to peel potatoes, he stood…" description: "\"“As she began to peel potatoes, he stood behind her and touched the tendrils of hair that had fallen from their clips and curled at the nape of her nec..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/081/eowyn-ivey-7989_fresh-air_as-she-began-to-peel-potatoes-he-stood-b_925401.jpg" --- # As she began to peel potatoes, he stood behind her and… ![“As she began to peel potatoes, he stood behind her and touched the tendrils of hair that had fallen from their clips and curled at the nape of her neck. Then he reached around her waist and leaned into her. All these years and still he was drawn to the smell of her skin, of sweet soap and fresh…” quote by Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/081/eowyn-ivey-7989_fresh-air_as-she-began-to-peel-potatoes-he-stood-b_925401.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/081/eowyn-ivey-7989_fresh-air_as-she-began-to-peel-potatoes-he-stood-b_925401.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/081/eowyn-ivey-7989_fresh-air_as-she-began-to-peel-potatoes-he-stood-b_925401.jpg) > ““As she began to peel potatoes, he stood behind her and touched the tendrils of hair that had fallen from their clips and curled at the nape of her neck. Then he reached around her waist and leaned into her. All these years and still he was drawn to the smell of her skin, of sweet soap and fresh air. He whispered against her ear, “Dance with me.” “What?” “I said, let’s dance.” “Dance? Here, in the cabin? I do believe you’re the mad one.” “Please.” “There’s no music.” “We can remember some tune, can’t we?” and he began to hum “In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree.” “Here,” he said, and swung her around to face him, an arm still at her waist, her slight hand in his. He hummed louder and began to twirl them around the plank floor. “Hmmm, hmm, with a heart that is true, I’ll be waiting for you…” “… in the shade of the old apple tree.” She kissed him on the cheek, and he swept her back on his arm. “Oh, I’ve thought of one,” she said. “Let me think…” and she began to hum tentatively. Jack didn’t know it at first, but then it came to him and he began to sing along. “When my hair has all turned gray,” a swoop and a twirl beside the kitchen table, “will you kiss me then and say, that you love me in December as you do in May?” And then they were beside the woodstove and Mabel kissed him with her mouth open and soft. Jack pulled her closer, pressed their bodies together and kissed the side of her face and down her bare neck and, as she let her head gently lean away, down to her collarbone. Then he scooped an arm beneath her knees and picked her up. “What in heaven’s—you’ll break your back,” Mabel sputtered between a fit of laughter. “We’re too old for this.” “Are we?” he asked. He rubbed his beard against her cheek. She shrieked and laughed, and he carried her into the bedroom, though they had not yet eaten dinner.”” [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A tender moment shows love can persist and grow even in later life, turning ordinary chores into intimate dance. **In simple terms:** Love endures and creates joy in everyday moments. Key Takeaway Cherish simple intimacy. Themes love age intimacy joy Mood warm playful nostalgic Type romantic narrative intimate When to use this quote - kitchen - dance - humor Key Concepts connection memory humor Questions to Reflect On - What small act can you turn into a shared ritual? - How does humor deepen bond? A Different Perspective ;;; romance;;; intimacy;;;;; ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apple Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apple-tree/) [Fresh air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fresh-air/) [Gaze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gaze/) [Kissed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kissed/) [Kissed Cheek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kissed-cheek/) [Kissed Mouth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kissed-mouth/) [Kitchen table](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kitchen-table/) [Mabel Kissed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mabel-kissed-1465501/) [Tree Kissed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree-kissed-1465502/) ## Related quotes > [Patch backed me into a tree and kissed me, hard. I regained my breath. "Boys take not everywhere: That was a kiss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/patch-backed-me-into-a-tree-and-kissed-me-hard-i-regained-my-breath/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her full on the mouth. His skin was wet with rain. When she didn't pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/he-put-his-hands-on-her-shoulders-and-kissed-her-full-on-the-mouth/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [Kissed mouth don’t lose its fortune, on the contrary it renews itself just as the moon does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giovanni-boccaccio/kissed-mouth-don-t-lose-its-fortune-on-the-contrary-it-renews-itself/) [Giovanni Boccaccio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giovanni-boccaccio/) > [Running at Ron, she flung them around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth. 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She turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arti-honrao/she-tried-to-slip-out-of-his-embrace-without-waking-him-up-but-she/) [Arti Honrao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arti-honrao/) > [“He leaned back against the Jeep and smiled. “More orders for your CEO, Madam President?” Her eyes were huge and solemn with concern. “I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayne-ann-krentz/he-leaned-back-against-the-jeep-and-smiled-more-orders-for-your-ceo/) [Jayne Ann Krentz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayne-ann-krentz/) > [“Then they took the last step together, and when she kissed her, her mouth as warm as summer, the taste of her sweet and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malinda-lo/then-they-took-the-last-step-together-and-when-she-kissed-her-her/) [Malinda Lo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malinda-lo/) > [“The sensation wasn't repellent, though she had believed somewhere it would be. 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"What was that for?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-keaton/he-turned-his-head-a-grin-playing-on-his-lips-then-he-leaned-over-and/) [Kelly Keaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-keaton/) ## More by Eowyn Ivey > [“It was beautiful, Mabel knew, but it was a beauty that ripped you open and scored you clean so that you were left helpless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/it-was-beautiful-mabel-knew-but-it-was-a-beauty-that-ripped-you-open/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“Makes me see that there might be some sense to having children after all, just so your entire life and all your family’s contributions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/makes-me-see-that-there-might-be-some-sense-to-having-children-after/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“She and Jack had formed her of snow and birch boughs and frosty wild grass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/she-and-jack-had-formed-her-of-snow-and-birch-boughs-and-frosty-wild/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“You’ll drive yourself crazy looking for something that’s not there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/you-ll-drive-yourself-crazy-looking-for-something-that-s-not-there/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“She might be curt and ungrateful, but by God she could bake.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/she-might-be-curt-and-ungrateful-but-by-god-she-could-bake/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“And if it is true...that we are each inhabited by some bit of divine light, then upon death, how long before those particles dissipate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/and-if-it-is-true-that-we-are-each-inhabited-by-some-bit-of-divine/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“Carry me on and on to the edge of the earth, with children's laughter like a wind - full sail, then carry me beyond”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/carry-me-on-and-on-to-the-edge-of-the-earth-with-children-s-laughter/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“When she first fell in love with Jack, she had dreamed she could fly, that on a warm, inky black night she had pushed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/when-she-first-fell-in-love-with-jack-she-had-dreamed-she-could-fly/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“But what makes the question of cultural loss the most uncomfortable, and difficult for me to address, are the inherent definitions built into it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/but-what-makes-the-question-of-cultural-loss-the-most-uncomfortable/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“Sewing was different. Mabel knew if she was patient and meticulous, if she carefully followed the lines, took each step as it came, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/sewing-was-different-mabel-knew-if-she-was-patient-and-meticulous-if/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“As Jack's eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, he saw the ground covered in white and, in the light of Garrett"s lantern, snowflakes spinning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/as-jack-s-eyes-grew-accustomed-to-the-darkness-he-saw-the-ground/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“Doubt crouched over his shoulder, ready to take him by the throat, whispering in his ear, You are an old man. An old, old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/doubt-crouched-over-his-shoulder-ready-to-take-him-by-the-throat/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“All her life she had believed in something more, in the mystery that shape-shifted at the edge of her senses. It was the flutter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/all-her-life-she-had-believed-in-something-more-in-the-mystery-that/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“In my old age, I see that life itself is often more fantastic and terrible than the stories we believed as children, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/in-my-old-age-i-see-that-life-itself-is-often-more-fantastic-and/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“I see that life itself is often more fantastic and terrible than the stories we believed as children, and that perhaps there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/i-see-that-life-itself-is-often-more-fantastic-and-terrible-than-the/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) [Explore all 84 Eowyn Ivey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) ## More Fresh air quotes > [Dave Wann's recipes from his own experience in Simple Prosperity are a breath of fresh air, and just what we need for a saner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazel-henderson/dave-wann-s-recipes-from-his-own-experience-in-simple-prosperity-are/) [Hazel Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazel-henderson/) > [ Jowett, in his day, did probably more than any other single man to let some fresh air into the exhausted atmosphere of the \[Oxford\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-jowett/jowett-in-his-day-did-probably-more-than-any-other-single-man-to-let/) [Benjamin Jowett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-jowett/) > [Her best friend was gone and nobody understood that no amount of makeup, fresh air or shopping was going to fill the hole in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/her-best-friend-was-gone-and-nobody-understood-that-no-amount-of/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [Things that are good are good, and if one is responding to that goodness one is in contact with a truth from which one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/things-that-are-good-are-good-and-if-one-is-responding-to-that/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Not only is bowhunting fun and a real challenge, but it's good for you. 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Thanks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/not-sleeping-listening-to-paul-auster-on-fresh-air-his-function/) [John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/) > [I believe in the hands that work, in the brains that think, and in the hearts that love...I believe in sunshine, fresh air, friendship,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/i-believe-in-the-hands-that-work-in-the-brains-that-think-and-in-the/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) [Browse all 438 Fresh air quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fresh-air/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As she began to peel potatoes, he stood behind her and touched the tendrils of hair that had fallen from their clips and curled at the nape of her neck. Then he reached around her waist and leaned into her. All these years and still he was drawn to the smell of her skin, of sweet soap and fresh air. He whispered against her ear, “Dance with me.” “What?” “I said, let’s dance.” “Dance? Here, in the cabin? I do believe you’re the mad one.” “Please.” “There’s no music.” “We can remember some tune, can’t we?” and he began to hum “In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree.” “Here,” he said, and swung her around to face him, an arm still at her waist, her slight hand in his. He hummed louder and began to twirl them around the plank floor. “Hmmm, hmm, with a heart that is true, I’ll be waiting for you…” “… in the shade of the old apple tree.” She kissed him on the cheek, and he swept her back on his arm. “Oh, I’ve thought of one,” she said. “Let me think…” and she began to hum tentatively. Jack didn’t know it at first, but then it came to him and he began to sing along. “When my hair has all turned gray,” a swoop and a twirl beside the kitchen table, “will you kiss me then and say, that you love me in December as you do in May?” And then they were beside the woodstove and Mabel kissed him with her mouth open and soft. Jack pulled her closer, pressed their bodies together and kissed the side of her face and down her bare neck and, as she let her head gently lean away, down to her collarbone. Then he scooped an arm beneath her knees and picked her up. “What in heaven’s—you’ll break your back,” Mabel sputtered between a fit of laughter. “We’re too old for this.” “Are we?” he asked. He rubbed his beard against her cheek. 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