Summertime things of the past...

OK, so a friend mentioned things from her youth and it got me to thinking....these are things from childhood so under the age of 12 I would say.



I think of playing frisbee in the street with my Dad after dinner in our Pajamas! You see we would be at the beach all day, and Mom would make us bathe before dinner and we'd put our PJ's on. Then after dinner, around 7:30- Dad would say,"You wanna play frisbee?" and the three of us would be out there trying to fling it to Dad! It was a strange and wonderful time being outside in our PJ's at a time when it should be getting dark, but wasn't.



Then there were the trips on the ice cream truck. Yes, you heard me right, trips. My closest friend's big brother drove the ice cream truck a couple of years and would let us hop on for half a block! That was a hoot!



Being at the beach all day long. You see, until I was 8 we shared a cabana at a beach club with very close friends. They were wonderful days filled with sand, pool, camp and the ocean. My Mom would take us down to the ocean every afternoon before we left and just let us run! The beach would be almost deserted so she could walk along the beach and know we were going to be tired out for the evening when we got home..That was when you were allowed to climb on the jetties with out the lifeguard whistling at you! Now realize I also feel I got beached out from this, and no longer love the beach, but I take the cuties to the beach whenever we see my Mom in the summer.



I also loved summer camp! The Rec Center ran a half day camp and many fond memories come from there. I was given my first nickname (Half-Pint) and was because of the nickname, I was not M's little sister or A's big sister but my own person.



I bought the only softball mitt ever with my own money one year. It was a lefty mitt and the only one sold at Wolf's Sporting Goods. I went with my Dad to purchase it and when we got there he asked me which one I wanted. I think he was surprised when I walked over to the exact spot at the counter and pointed up to it and told him it was the only one they carried. Please realise this was a major purchase and I think it was $12.99 which was a lot of money to me. I had scoped it out for weeks until I had the money to buy it.

There are many more, but these stand out in my mind as significant. What do you remember from your childhood? I'd love to hear about it!

Funny things

"Mommy, the grass outside is growing as fast as grapes are eaten!" quipped Michael.

"Oh, it's growing that fast hunh?"Mom asked, knowing that grapes are eaten very quickly in this house.

"Yeah- it is biiiig."

"Hey were you using a similie or Metaphor there?"

"Similie, Mom." sighed the 12 year old son of an english teacher wanna be.

"OK, guess we have to tell Dad to mow soon!"

"Yup!"



No, I did not make this dialog up- my son was home with me a lot this week, and I always ask things like similie or metaphor- keep him thinking. Yes, it is funny. He knows I almost became an English teacher, and he still puts up with me. He thinks it's funny to discuss things with me- that I often read his books to have something to talk to him about. And he talks to me still, about lots of stuff. I am blessed.

Slow down!

Sorry I have not been posting as often- the novelty has worn off, and kids birthday party and end of Summer activities are filling the air. I promise to write as I get stuff...but from August 31-September 6 expect nothing.

OK, so I am back from a weekend without anyone. (Hooray for Mommy time!) I am looking out my kitchen window at my neighbors. The Mrs., her daughter and granddaughter are all sitting and hanging out. The granddaughter is around a year old, maybe a few months more. And as I gaze out I notice something weird. They are all moving in jerky motions- quick jerky motions. I think,"How strange." Then I realize that the baby has learned to make quick jerky motions from her Mom and Grandma! I then think that maybe I am supposed to relax and rest. I wonder how jerky my motions are and I start to move to pour a drink of water. Jerky!

And then I think about TaiChi. It is all the jerky moves of many martial arts but they are done in a fluid motion, unhurried by the clock or other men. Many years ago, a friend told me he interrupted his Mom doing TaiChi and decided if she sped up he would have been toast!

So, somewhere in this world and the universe, there is a force, I'm thinking it's God, that is trying to slow things down into their beauty, like TaiChi, from the hectic New York hustle and bustle. And yes, I am a Long Islander from New York. I was raised very close to the real hustle bustle of the City, but I think it is partially inside us. I lived in the Albany area for 5 years, and I was still rushed, but less than before. And only NYC transplants in that area ever truly rush.

So I listened to that thought about slowing down, and drew a picture that I had always wanted to draw- but it started as a doodle. And I got only what had to be done that day completed. And i enjoyed my kiddies, and it was a good day.

Well, I hope you all have relaxing times each day for your minds- and I don't mean while you sleep! LOL!

Peace to you,
Cindy

Crunchy Grass

Hi everyone! I am not very good at upkeep on things.
I clean the house and a week later must declutter and put away for hours after.
I have the same upkeep problem with the grass. So, it gets dry. It gets brown. It gets crunchy. Yes, crunchy! I can't remember if it was my neighbor or one of her children who when I asked why do you want to play here and not on my lawn? The answer was "Your grass is crunchy!" Usually it gets crunchy mid August- maybe not at all this year with the rain we've had! And yet when we get those flash rains in August- it greens up quick. It's not dead grass, just crunchy.
I am like that sometimes....I feel like I am an artist although it is years since I have sculpted, and writer but until this blog again it has been years, and I am still waiting for what I am to do in the long run.
But I will always be me! No matter how against the grain...hope you are not bothered by it :o)