“if you see with innocent eyes, everything is divine.”
-federico fellini
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Feb15
Tag Archives: childhood
Feb9
where hobbies, hijinks, and capers go bad = my childhood #9
another summer’s day
after a year or so of middle school
with too much time on our hands
trying to act grown up
we decided that
we’d lounge around
on the back patio
grill up some food
have some lemonade
do nothing
sit around, eat, talk, be lazy.
but when the fire on our hibachi
somehow got too big
we did the obvious thing
threw it into the hedge
and yes, there was some collateral damage
and no, we didn’t think they’d notice
but actually, they did
and no, it didn’t end well
and yes, our day of lounging ended rather abruptly.
“the grass is always greener around the fire hydrant.”
-jeff rich
Dec6
where hobbies, hijinks, and capers go bad = my childhood #8
as the youngest of 3 daughters
it took me a while to realize
that i was often being used
as the canary in the coal mine
sent in first to check
if the mud was sticky
if the place was scary
if it was wet
if there were spiders or alligators
if the others could squeeze in somewhere
if we were going to get in trouble
for whatever crazy scheme we thought up that day
i was curious and relished the adventure
excited to try things first
only to realize time and again
that it generally
had not
been a good idea in the first place.
whoever thinks they can fool me 267 times or so
has got another thing coming….
—
“a younger sister is someone to use as a guinea pig in trying sledges and experimental go-carts. someone to send on messages to mum. but someone who needs you – who comes to you with bumped heads, grazed knees, tales of persecution. someone who trusts you to defend her. someone who thinks you know the answers to almost everything.
~ pam brown
—
image credit: lets feast.feast-ed.org
Nov20
softly.
in honor of United Nations Universal Children’s Day
established in 1954 and celebrated on November 20th, this day promotes international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and the improvement of children’s welfare. on this date in 1959, the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and in 1989, adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
credits: united nations, united nations general assembly, sir ken robinson
Oct27
where hobbies, hijinks, and capers go bad = my childhood #7
my middle sister and i hatched a plan to get on the radio
when we heard about a fund raising radio-thon.
anyone who called in with a year-long pledge
would hear their names on the radio as a thank you.
as soon as our mom went upstairs
we dialed up the station on our kitchen phone
excitedly pledging to send 2 dollars a month for a whole year.
within the hour, we heard our names announced
we were so proud and cheering for ourselves
until all the noise caused our mom to come downstairs
asking what we were celebrating
as she quickly reminded us once again
that we were young kids with no income
(other than what we made from our other schemes)
and there was no way we could actually pay them a cent.
how quickly our fame turned to shame
how fearful we were
thinking the radio station
would send someone right over to our door to collect.
though they might not have found us
as we were soon busy doing hard time in our room.
—
‘fame is a fickle food upon a shifting plate.’
-emily dickinson
—
image credit: eBay
Sep16
where hobbies, hijinks, and capers go bad = my childhood #6
(not my actual sale, this one is 70 miles long, but you get the feel of it)
—
there was that time
when i decided the best way to earn some quick cash
was to have a yard sale.
so i dragged our lemonade stand table out into the front yard
threw a plastic tablecloth over it
made a sign
covered it with stuff to sell
opened for business
let the cash flow begin!
a couple of friends and their sibs
stopped by on bikes
to check it out
i quickly made 57 cents
things were humming along at a nice pace
the venture was looking promising
i thought i’d do this each weekend
maybe hire an assistant
deciding what i’d do with all the cash
until
my sister came marching out of the house
to see what was going on
realized that i was selling her stuff
my mom soon followed
and that business closed pretty quickly.
—
“three dollars and it only transports matter?!”
(at professor frink’s yard sale – homer simpson)
fictional character from the animated tv series created by matt groening, the simpsons
—
image credit: cbc.ca
Jul24
where hobbies, hijinks, and capers go bad = my childhood #5
while many kids of my era ate glue, paste, chalk, and crayons
i was busy with my own unusual eating habits
because we played outside for hours and hours
in the fields and open spaces of our neighborhood
most every day
i supplemented by ‘indoor diet’
with my own outdoor natural food diet
often consisting of:
pulp from a freshly fallen tree stump
rich, black, loamy soil
and baby ants.
not sure why i was drawn to each of these things
or why or how i stayed healthy
must have been all of the snow i ate in the winter months
but i’ve learned not to eat baby ants
and i’ve since moved on to chocolate, pasta, and flamin’ hot cheetos
apparently i was one of the original clean eaters
quite by accident.
—
“eat food. not too much. mostly plants.”
-michael pollan -‘in defense of food: an eater’s manifesto’
