What do you say we share childhood summer memories?

I'll begin -

We had no air conditioning when I was younger. I thnk we had fans, but I don't recall window units until I was older. Maybe that's why I spent so much time in the great outdoors. Hmmm...

I remember playing jacks on the front porch when it rained. My oldest sister was the absolute best jack player. She often went to tensies and back without missing. SInce she was five years older, she had her own set of friends, but every now and then she whip us younger ones just for fun. I was so impressed!

Dotsie, I LOVED playing jacks...it's hard to find the kind we had as kids these days...usually they're plastic or something else...I did manage to find some about 5 years ago and got in the floor to play...It was difficult because I was taller...or maybe I can't sit in the positions I could when I was a kid that prevents me from enjoying the game. Hmmmm...let me think about a childhood summer memory and get back. Great post, Dotsie

I have always been a champ at jacks and still play it!

I have scant memories of childhood summers in Manhattan as I was sent off to school abroad when I was 6. What I remember of that time was Central Park and trips to my parents' summer house upstate which my sisters and I still maintain. I remember the drive-in, a boat ride in the Hudson, the Vanderbilt Mansion and Roosevelt's. There was a summer camp close by which we'd pass on the drive up and down from the summer house but, I never got a peek. I remember being told not to stray in the brambles because of deer ticks. I remember flying kites, barbecues at the back lawn, peeking into the guest house to see whether children of visiting family friends were ready to come out to play.

Summers since then were spent abroad and did not come home again to spend a season in the States until I was 13 and was never back for another summer holiday until I was 17.

My favorite thing to do was ride my bike and swing. I'd love to try and kick the branches in front of me, and I loved to bail out on the up swing. I swing high and sing loud, the air making my hair slap my in the face on my sing backward. GLORY what a lift!

When young I followed my dad around like a puppy. I was at the age in my avatar picture which is two. He would let me hold the hose to water the hedges, flowers and the trees. I learned young how to plant corn etc. But when a few years older I also played on the porch in the summer rain once we were done walking in all the puddles of warm rain water. Jacks, pick-up sticks and cutting paper dolls were favorites for us kids...

That was a gentler, sweeter time when we were young, no need for computers, cell phones or TV. We played outdoors every minute we could...

Gosh does that bring me back...no air conditioning and front porches! My dad (he worked 3rd shift when we were kids) would take us to the library every week. I was a "geek" even back then and he'd let me and my baby sister roam the library for hours. It was cool and air conditioned, and I just LOVED the smell and feel of the books. I would always beg him to get out extra books on his card cause the kid cards were limited to 3. He'd consent sometimes after he figured out I would just consume the books.

Then we'd read on the front porch in the evenings. To this day, there is nothing better to me than a good book and a nice cool evening. Even when I go camping, a book is tucked into my stuff somewhere.

That and I remember backyard bbqs. We'd light the charcoal grill just to cook up hot dogs and hamburgers and dad would always get fresh corn to throw on the grill and a big ol' cold watermelon. I would just pig out on the watermelon and my sisters and I would have contests to see how far we could spit the seeds What fun!

My girl cousins and I practically lived on the beaches. We challenged each other on who can get the deepest tan, LOL!

No one had fans or airconditioning back when. I played pickup sticks and hide-go-seek when big sister paid attention to me. My adoptive brother was 12 years older than I and adoptive sister was 6 years older. So, I mostly played alone. But we had animals galore. I'd search in the haymow for the newborn kittens. I played with the calves. In my teens I had a horse. I helped daddy a lot. I bailed hay. I delivered milk. I showed livestock at the county fair. I drove trucks in the field when they loaded them with hay. I had a dollhouse and rearranged toy furniture, endlessly. I recall a miniature farm and metal cars and firetruck. Grandma husked the corn and peeled potatoes on the bench in the yard. There was a gazebo over the water well just down the sidewalk from the side entrance of the homestead. Aw...those were the days. Life was easy and worries were few. And mom and dad and gram and grap were sooooooo wonderful! Thanks 4 the memories! Gosh, this is wordy!!!

I´m from the Boston area..that means Cape Cod. And the beach parties when we drove the cars directly onto the beach..opened the trunks where all the beer was stashed. And the food..I remember the campfires where we roasted crackers with chocolate on them and marshmellows on top..mmmm..jummy! And the music..Baby Light My Fire was a big song then.. and PS I Love You (by the Beatles).

I fell in love with a great guy one nite on the beach..and the next day, he entered the priesthood. What a downer!

Those were the days my friend..we thought they would never end!

We'd sing and dance, forever and a day!

Bikes. I used to ride my bike everywhere. The town I grew up in had great river beaches, but there was only one bridge and that was a ways away from our house. I would leave early in the morning and return as late as I could, without getting into too much trouble.

And jacks. When I was teaching in middle school, I once ran a class on "old timey games" and I taught all these kids jacks. They LOVED the game.

My sister and I shared an upstairs bedroom, and we would have a big box fan in the window furthest from us. The window by our beds would blow in nice breezes.

And my girlfriends play house. When we were young, we'd play house. When we got older, we played doctor and nurse. Got caught and the house was taken down.

Our summers growing up were glorious. Dad was a teacher, so had most of the summer off. In the mid-1960's, he found some old stocks from a former job that he had forgotten all about. When he cashed them in, he had enough to buy some land and build a cottage. Oh those were the days, indeed. My two younger brothers and I would spend HOURS playing in the sandpit beside the beach. We would spend all morning building huge cities, then wash them away with buckets of lake water so that we could start all over again the next day.

We spent the afternoons hiking and exploring the many acres of woods and waterfalls. We built a fort (Chipmunk's Playhouse) which we enjoyed for many, many years. On rainy days we played board games.

Dad's BBQ hamburgers, fresh corn and asparagus from Dad's garden, strawberries from the farm down the road, watching the racoons roll around on the front veranda in the evenings, building bonfires on the beach and roasting marshmallows (with graham crackers and chocolate chips - called S'Mores) late at night with the other cottagers.

Glorious, glorious, glorious days. We really did believe that they would never end.

Dad would bring home a blow up pool every year. When we got older, my sis and I would lay out working on our tan. She just reminded me we'd use cocoa butter.

I distinctly remember the smell of lilacs and the salt air. Summer spent on the beach and swimming in the natural pool for hours on end. Ahhh the blessed memories.

U ladies reminded me of things I hadn't thought about in a long, long time: the smell of lilacs, I love that; the swing dad hung in a big, old maple tree; sitting around a campfire and singing songs like, Delta Dawn; and how dad ran behind that two-wheeler, the first time I rode; and the day I smashed dad's milk delivery truck into the biggest tree in the frontyard. I don't how my folks' survived three of us kids.

How about jumping from rock to rock in a local stream, searching for tadpoles, and climbing the banks of the stream without falling?

I can feel the cooler temperature of the wooded areas that surrounded the streams. Fun memories.

I miss the summer pears... nothing like walking out to a tree and plucking a crispy ripe summer pear, eating it on the spot, juices running down the chin.

Yum! I remember getting peaches off the trees here. Oh and growing our own tomatoes...picking them off the vine and eating them still warm from the sun while in the garden.

Queens, NY: On the hottest days of summer, the grown-ups would let the kids turn on a garden hose and run through it.

Some years Grandma would contribute money so we'd rent a bungalow in the Catskills for a month. Dad drove us all up (me, Mom, younger sister, Grandma.) He'd be there some of the time but had to work most weeks.

I liked frogs and chameleons. I'd catch them and put them in an empty milk carton with some water. Usually they'd die and I'd be depressed all day.

One year, a certain snooty aunt and her family came to visit the bungalow. She opened the milk carton and the frog jumped out. She screamed. The highlight of my day!! Mom scolded me, but after the snooty aunt left, Mom said she had a hard time not laughing.

So, what did you call your parents. We were under strict orders from my mother to call each a certain thing:
Mother and her parents:
Grandmother
Granddaddy
Daddy and his parents:
Peepaw
Granny Pearl (later to be shortened to Pearlie)

Our girls call my husb and me, Dad and Mom... and my grandchildren call me Gimme (as in give me, I often think), and him Poppy.

Pearlie let one of my sisters and me play out under a tree in the circle driveway in our panties and her bras, which had big cups and hung off our tiny shoulders... what a picture! She lived way out in the country where there was no chance of anyone seeing us.

Mater and Pater when we were being pretentious, Gims. LOL! But it's Mom and Dad. My children call me Mother although I refer to myself as Mom. My grandchildren call me Lola but, sometimes it's Grandmother. The other set of grandparents are called Nan and GrandDad. You're lucky for Granny Pearlie. I was scared of my grandparents who were of the old thought and practice: children seen not heard.

My grandparents on both sides were called abuelita and abuelo.

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You still play jacks Lola! Do you play with your grandchildren?


Oh yes Gims; trying to kick branches while swinging. I forgot about that. I like the way you described swinging. Put me right there.


Oh and reading summer nights. I loved doing that too, Keyhole. The library was my second home as well. We also used to try to catch fireflies in the night. I never caught one.

Jabber, your childhood sounds like out of a story book. What a dream.

Chick we have three lilac bushes, and when they are in full bloom I think of my childhood too.

Oh yes, Dotsie jumping rocks across streams was my specialty.

And Meredith your frog story is great; should have been in a Tom Sawyer book.

I just had to comment on some of your experiences. I loved reading them, and it reminded me of so many of my own forgotten impressions.

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I remember sitting in the back of the car, all windows open, an orange lollipop in my mouth. The smell of beach and sand clung to our beach bag, and I held my plastic blow up horse tightly in my arms.

Mom would pack a huge red plaid bag, with large red plastic handles. It was stuffed full of goodies and plenty of watermelon slices. We had a sand coloured blanket that was just the right size for my brother, Mom and me. When I think about it, my Mother had to haul a lot to the beach; the umbrella, blanket and picnic bag.

The trip to Crane’s Beach was exciting within itself. I remember turning onto the road where the first sand dunes appeared, as if they were welcoming us into the land of summer time fun. The long country road seemed endless, while we passed hundreds of sand dunes, dotted with clumps of high grass. The suspense as to who would discover the ocean first heightened my brother’s and my senses, till we finally screamed in unison “I see the ocean”, as we spied a triangular shaped blue between the mountains of crystal white sand.

Thanks for bringing me back to this delightful time.

Yep. I still play jacks but the grandchildren just watch. Then I show off while they gasp in awe and laugh at my variations: piggy in the pen, double falling stars etc.

All of you have shared memories that triggered some favorite childhood moments.

EW, we used to catch lightening bugs and put them in a glass jar or plastic container with holes punched in them. Then we'd sleep in a tent in the back yard or on the front porch and use them as night lights. We caught many. I still recall the stench of my hands after cupping them and putting them in the containers.

Meredith, I recall being very young and running through a sprinkler. In fact, I have pictures of our youngest son doing the same on our front lawn with a young neighbor child. It's great. One of them is sitting on the sprinkler with this hysterical look on his face.

Lola, what is piggy in the pen? And what is double falling stars? I'll have to see if my older sister, the queen of jacks in the old neighborhood knows about them.

gims, good old Mom and Dad, and for grandparents - I only had one living until I was three and she was Mom-Mom. My kids call us Mom and Dad, except my daughter very occasionally calls me Momma and I love it.

Softball games, Good Humor ice cream, sitting on the front porch in our pj's..a BIG DEAL!

Vacation, sewing lessons for me at Singer (while my two older sisters were working and my younger brother was in day camp), walking through the park, stick ball, "V" ball, touch football, bowling, riding bikes...

Friends "sleeping over", babysitting and playing Osmond records...

Wearing shorts and knee socks, hot pants, driving down the Jersey shore and baking in the sun (YOW!), walking the boardwalk, the smell of Coppertone or Sea 'n' Ski....

Going shopping w/Mom for "back-to-school" clothes and shoes. Then the excitement of finding out what teacher you get!

Piggy in the pen is a variation of "over the fence", Dotsie. LOL!

Pen: The left hand is open cupped on the surface and the stars are slid into it onesies on the throw and before the ball bounces.

Over the fence: the left hand is put flat or knuckled and the stars are put over it onesies on the throw and before the ball bounces.

Falling stars: Pick up a star on a throw and catch the ball before bounce, throw them up together catching the star and putting it down before the bounce.

Double falling stars follows the same except the left hand catches the star while the right hand picks, moving the pile to the other side of the table. I can do it without miss.

Does your sister still play? My sisters and I are still mean jacks players. When we get competitive, we make ridiculous rules like playing lefty for the righty and vice versa...or no smiling

Trade your glow worms for one of my grasshoppers. I remember catching a cricket once. Thought that I can press its tummy and have the sound associated with it on demand. Much like those little tin ones. Anyone remember what they were called? It went clickety-clack. Anyway... pressed the tummy once too often until it popped. I had this odd fascination with bugs and crawlies when we went upstate. Earthworms were my favourites. I remember stretching them to see how long they'd get. I loved snails, too.

Gee for a minute here I wanted to run outside and play with you girls, it all sounds so fun! SNAP! I'm a grown up at a computer. LOL
My summers were spent mostly in the company of Citters, riding horses, had a pet crow "Crowie" how creative is that? Dogs, cats, chickens, cattle...Meridith's story of bugs in a jug reminded me of the year we redid our bathroom. Nails came in little matchbox type containers with clear covers. Perfect for those tiny brown lizards, dime size frogs and jar fly hulls..same snooty relative came to our house. LOL I had on little shorts w/ deep pockets full of those boxes. she inquired as to what was in my pockets. So, being polite I unloaded my pockets into her lap. Well, Bless my BUGS! My stash went flying all over the living room, lady bugs, lizrds, frogs, my hulls got smashed!!! What in heck was wrong with this woman? Had she never played with a frog? Good Grief why was I in trouble, she was the one that spilled everything? Dancin' round flappin' her arms and sqwalking.. I do remember swimming lessons too, they started at 7AM, we shivered and turned purple lipped till 11, then it was over and hot in the car, so we'd stop for ice cream. I'm drifting...what a wonderful topic,,,,,,memories are popping from each post,
QB

QBall, I'm laughing at the picture of your flying/jumping menagerie on the loose! Snooty relatives, beware!

QBall,
That was fun! A farm girl knows about bugs. In fact, I have a current neighbor called "Bugs!" Funnnnnnnnnnnyyyyyyyy!!!

We also had a big porch where I sat and read many books on the glider. I also went to the neighborhood pool and had swimming lessons. We also played "kick the can" with the neighborhood kids. We went on beach vacations and visited my grandparents. We had no ac, either. Summer was fun. [/list] [/list] [/list] [/list] [/list]

Ah...Summer. We lived outdoors!
To the left of our house was a huge meadow where we played baseball and other games. To the right was a grove where we built forts and played hide n go seek. To the front was the big Atlantic ocean, cliffs and a beach with a natural waterfall pool. To the back was a pond where we caught cobblers(minnows) and behind the pond were hills where we picked blueberries. The house in the middle held all the love any child could hope for.

Jumping in mud puddles, making mud pies (and trying them), keeping lightening bugs in jars, keeping tad poles in jars, climbing Mamaw's pecan tree, dirt roads and bare feet, open windows at night and chirping crickets, skinned knees and stumped toes, hide-and-seek, telling ghost stories in bed, racing around the block, vacation bible school, pop cicles, peanuts in coca cola, tree swings...

Uhhhh...didn't everyone? Once I got past the crunchy bits it wasn't so bad....LOL

Peanuts in coca cola, Dee? Or was it pina colada? Good to wash down those mud pies, heh?

Oh, no...I'm never going to live eating mud pies down...LOL.
Edelweiss...you've never had salted peanuts poured into a cold bottle of coca cola? Girlfriend you haven't lived. JJ...I KNOW you know about this...back me up, girlfriend!

It's a Southern law; I'm sure of it. That and eating a pineapple/peanut butter/mayo sandwich.

Dee,
I remember that cola, peanut thing; and, I've always been from Yankeedom.
jj,
That sandwich sounds awful. It's about as yummy as Elvis'
banana/peanut butter craving.

You're kidding, right? Honey, that is your meal PLUS your dessert all rolled into one! And I have to agree on the fried peanut butter/banana sandwich...I tried it and didn't like it. Now I DO eat peanut butter/mayo/banana sandwiches all the time and love them...just not fried. Ew.

I have a friend from New Orleans who prepared fried bananas with looooooots of syrup and ice cream on top. I nearly went deaf with all that sugar but, heck...looooved it! Does anyone know what it's called and can it be done with regular bananas?

if you do a "google" on fried bananas with syrup, you'll get more recipes than you want...

Banana Foster! That's the one. No wonder I went deaf. It's the rum. Thanks, JJ.

No Dee, I never heard of salted peanuts in a coca cola. but I promise you I'll try it! I'll let you know how I liked it; burp and all! lol

Edelweiss...if you can find the little packs of salted peanuts that's the best. Take an ice cold coka cola and slowly pour the salted peanuts into the coke...it should start to foam a little...you add a few, drink and eat the peanuts...(yum)...pour more peanuts in your coke, drink and eat...and pretty soon you'll have lots of peanuts floating in your coke...man, I've given myself a craving...

JJ...okay...pineapple AND peanut butter AND mayo? I've made pineapple and mayo but never combined it with peanut butter...I'm with Jabber...all three sound pretty disgusting. Not sure I want to try that one.
Banana Foster...YUM YUM YUM

Glad to know there are fellow bug/critter catchers here. Anne, you had pet snakes? Not e when I was a kid, but in the course of 'paying for my raising' my oldest son was a snake person. He knew good from bad, & I got called to his 3rd grade teachers once for him taking a snake he caught on the playground both into the classoom & brought it home on the bus! HE kept pet snakes - I used to help him catch snakes for his pet snake to consume. His last snake was a 13ft Bermese Python. Ding-Gong me gave it to him for his 16th B-day!

Qball,
When I was a kid, I saw my adoptive maternal grandmother us a shovel to chop the head off a rather large snake. I'll never forget it. And I've hated snakes ever since. Don't like spiders, either. There were lots of spiders in the barn, hay.

I'm with you on the vivid memories of beheaded snakes. And the spiders, them and wasps..I declair "lol that's southern" that a wasp will chase you, especially those large Red angry ones. Although once while wheelchair bound 'home alone' I used wasp spray on a rather large jumping spider who was playing hopscotch on my ceiling. He fell to the floor and I rolled back to get out of his decent path. When he hit the floor he started running straight toward me with his little front feelie things up in the air. LOL I thought it was coincedence, nope, where ever I rolled here he came! At a backwards glance it was quite funny, since I wasn't all that experieced at wheelchair manuvers, just me and a doped up spider in battle. One PO'd Sprider at that...carpet or not I nailed his butt with one of DH's cowboy boots! Finally a reason to be glad he don't always put his boots away.

Goody, spiders. My curiosity with them as a child went the full hog. I remember catching one, pulling off a leg to see whether it could still walk with the remaining 7.

LOLA! Eueee You did What? Well did it limp or what? I caught Grandaddy long legs a few ties but always got the heebeejeebies and tossed them. Any other spider stories in your youth? WOW A girl who liked spiders, how bout now? I once put a tree frog in a city kids jumpsuit..LOL

I stayed away from frogs, QBall. I've always had a yikes! moment with them. Funnily enough, I am not averse to eating them now. And, snails.

Yep. It limped on 7 legs I must say, I was quite good at catching those on a webspin and trying to pull the silk from that end. Yep. Spidergirl personified. I even used to let them crawl up my arms and wanted one as a pet. Never been allowed one though. Mom was terrified of them. So, was Dad. I'd have rescued you from that spider.

Ew...ew...ew...jumping up and down...ew...ew...yuck...ew...ew.

Cuisses de grenouille and escargot cooked in lots of butter and garlic. Yummy!

LOL OK, stop I'm laughing too hard at Lola's stories and Queen JJ's reaction! Queen I'm right there too, with the eww-eww I have never wanted to taste frog. So Lola do they taste like chicken? LOL Seriously when a kid I saw frogs being de-leged...I had nightmares cause to me a frog was a pet.
Lola it's too bad your parents didn't allow you a pet spider. One of our son's had a large pet spider, I spider sat one week. Ran around the yard catching grasshoppers and such for the 'thing' Stoney. Tt-toally freaked me out that it would escape. I piled both the Spring and Fall issues of the JC Penny, one large family Bible and a Webster dictionary on top of his auqarium lid with just enough gap for air!
Dear me girl, what type spider did you let crawl up your arm, Was your Mom witness to that?

There's a saying: when God created beef, pork, fish etc. He must have run short after chicken...hence, everything tastes like chicken. LOL!!!

House and garden spiders. And yep, I set off Mom's scream alert more than a few times.

Okay. This one we'll save from the pot.

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I piled both the Spring and Fall issues of the JC Penny, one large family Bible and a Webster dictionary on top of his auqarium lid with just enough gap for air!

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I had quite a giggle with the specifics, QBall. LOL!!! Oh, someone restrain meeeeeeee...I tend to quip

Speaking of, my old forg's home..back at you gals in the AM. Tastes like chicken...LOLOLOLL

Repeat performance....ew...ew...ew...ew...ew.

Say good-night Gracey...ew.

RIVET....bless your hearts and count your frog legs...you got me rivetting.

Good Morning Gracey. Will that do?
While on the topic of ewwww foods. Anyone even enjoyed the feast of Mountain Oysters? I haven't had them in years, but they were always mandatory on the table after Cattle working days when I was a youngin'. Loved 'um, & always got a real kick out of serving them to unsuspecting guests, more so if they really liked them and I could later tell them they were not chicken.

My 1st husband had an aunt that collected inanimate frogs. And I babysat 4 a couple during my teen years, who ate
chocolate-covered ants! Talk about gross!!!!
And I hate walking into unseen spider webs, while hiking in the park. Yuck!!! Eweeeeeee, these are fun topics.

How long do you feel imagiary spiders crawling on you after walking into a web? We were getting cattle up once in a woode area, my horse & I went right through a wed loaded with spiders...EWWWWWWWW, LOL We both went balstic! Heck with the cattle we had some major swatting to do. My Dad was like Lola, 'they're just litle spiders'. LOL

Mountain oysters...OMGosh...I hadn't thought of those in years. Yep, down here in the South they are quite common although I will you all that I have NEVER eaten them; well not knowingly.

There is a rattlesnake roundup also in the South and you can get snake-on-a-stick, and sometimes gator-on-a-stick. I want to add that anybody who would attend a rattlesnake roundup is nuts in my book. The only good snake is a dead one. And bring it on your bleeding hearts....you will NEVER change my way of thinking on this one. EVVVVVVVVVER!

My son, John, has a deathly fear of spiders...ANY spider...it stemmed from the night he spent at his grandmother's in Oklahoma. He was aroudn six year old and almost asleep when he looked down and a tarantula spider was crawling up towards his face...he said he could not move, could not speak...he was frozen in fear...I guess he regained his voice by the time it got on his stomach...his grandmother came in and killed it. But, now...my 6'1" big musculary 31 year old son will beat the crap out of any spider, good or bad, that he sees anywhere near him. Like you with snakes, JJ...John says the only good spider is a dead spider. OMGosh...can you imagine? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

But....but WHY don't you like me...sniff? I like YOU.

get it off! get it off! eww...ewww...ewww....kill it! kill it! EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW....<Queen goes screaming down the hall, falls, gets up, continues running...Jessie Owens would be proud> Ewwww..help! Help!

A SNAKE!!! TO THE RESCUE, JJ!!!

And as she's nifty with them blades...for good measure.

GEEZE..ALRIGHT ALREADY!! I'M LEAVIN'...TOUGH ROOM!

JJ come on back, Lola got it. HAHAHA...so you are aware of Mt Oysters YEAH! DId you grow up around cattle too?

I used to feel like only good snake was dead, till I learned that the King snake eats the really bad ones. Granted I still give them W-I-D-E room to pass, LOL or run in the house..but don't kill them or the little greenies anymore. All other snakes beware, and like Dee's son, there's not a safe spider, I pound them till they're just a dark spot. WE have scorpions around here. They are right up there in things to avoid like Rattle Snake Round Ups. Don't ya wonder who in their right mind was sittin' round the house one day and said "Bubba, Let's go round up some rattlers!". & Bubba went..?
Dad had a friend once that caught them - milked the venum and turned those things loose. LOL I called him Crazy Clifford.

poor JJ...you can add 'wee my pants'

Larry spotted two snakes the same day in our yard...one was a rat snake the other a black racer...that sucker was loooooooooooong and creepy looking.

Chick makes me think of a brother I never had and thought that having a pic of the snake was such a laugh! You get the picture...little girls huddled about...boy comes with a snake...girls scamper in all directions (a cute little red-head screaming the loudest and running the fastest)...boy laughs...TOO FUNNY!!!

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Don't ya wonder who in their right mind was sittin' round the house one day and said "Bubba, Let's go round up some rattlers!". & Bubba went..?

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EARL?

When we vacationed in Spain, I took a picture of a cliff covered with beautiful purple and pink flowers. In front of the stone wall, people were sitting on park benches, and along some of the rocks.

While focusing the camera, something gray and big flashed by. I looked again and it was a gigantic rat…but not only one, there were dozens of them scampering out between the rocks, behind the flowers, just everywhere, and only inches away from the people’s heads!!!!

Of course I yelled and pointed at the culprits. Most of the people were over 70 years old. But you should have seen them run!….They shed off those years within a split second!

Qball,
I'm wiping my arms off the rest of the walk. Gosh, I hate that!
I hate snakes! I hate spiders! And rats???? Forget rats???
Gray hair or not, I'd be goooooonnnnnneeeeee...Exit, stage right, or left, or over the cliff!

The only good spider, snake or rat is a dead spider, rat or snake... NO exception!

When I was nine years old my family traveled one summer from Indiana (our home) to Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX., to visit my Uncle Johnny the Fighter Pilot. He(and his family) was stationed there.
Their ranch home was at the very end of the town and all you could see for miles was empty desert.

The first night we were there and it was bedtime, my aunt put us to bed and said, "now don't get up out of this bed for any reason during the night, ring this bell on the nightstand and one of the adults will come and see what you need." Then she began to lay sheets of newspaper all around the bed. On our arrival we were told in no uncertain terms to lift the toilet seat with the stick on he tank top before sitting down, to make sure there were no visitors on the bottom of the toilet rim or the seat. When questioning my Aunt/Uncle we were told that scorpions, (big black ones) would climb up the toilet and settle under the rim where it was damp and cool. They also said that the newspaper around the beds was to hear if any of them were crawling around on the floor.

MY GOD!!! I bet I didn't sleep the entire time we were there, I was he only nine year old with black bags under my eyes. Never saw a scorpion there but every morning when they freed us from our beds the entire back yard was a light green color as far as we could see, my uncle said, "watch this." As he stepped out the back door a million little green lizards ran in all directions, ucovering again the sandy floor of the desert.

One good thing is both mom and dad decided one trip to that insect haven was enough for a lifetime...

Oh, another thing was we would visit my dads brother and wife in Wyandotte, MI and the men went 'Froging.' Then they'd come home and prepare the frogs legs for dinner. We kids ate them never ever knowing it wasn't chicken. I have to admit if you can get past the yuk, pooey of it being a frog, they are quite tasty...

I thought oysters grew in the ocean. How did they get up in the mountains?

In my more adventurous culinary past, I tried both frog legs and snails. Can't say I'd try either one again. And bugs, regardless of what they're covered in -- YUK! Not food in my book.

I always liked snakes and lizards. When we went to Bangkok in 1987, I got a picture of me with a boa constrictor around my shoulders. It was that or feed the alligator, and I wasn't too sure about the alligator. Hubbo was too scared to do either one. I think maybe he petted an ostrich or something lame like that. No, I don't know where my picture is.

When we see spiders in the house, sometimes we set them outside (alive) and sometimes we ignore them. If I see a cockroach, I scream and then run to pour boric acid on it.

Lordy lordy Chatty, that story gave me the weeawillerkers!

Meredith, for some reason I can imagine you with a boa constrictor around your shoulders. It's that exoticness about you.

These rats EW living near the sea.
We have a lovely town next to the sea. Elie..its a favourite for quiet holidays.There is the Point..where the bay meets the estuary.We parked there to picnic then walk along the shore.A place had been created with benches and bins for picnicers.
We were a while in returning and most cars had gone.As we watched the sun setting a whole group of rats came out.Just like kids from school and foraged round the bench/tables and bins.There were little one and mothers and great big ones.
I decided then to always bring my rubbish home..and never to use these benches.Many do in fact just like they were eating at home as they were designed for.

There is a story (never seen it myself) but have no reason for disbelieving.That if a place where they live is treatened by disturbance say in building rats will move out on mass.Thise who report if may exagerate but they say its like a river of rats.one man said some held tails..to navigate.
We had a quarry which was then used for the towns rubbish.Pre incineration.It was said this happened there.I though it was said to scare us children away from a dangerous spot. But since then I have seen it in different newspapers letter columns.
Mountain ash

Chatty, Divine Ms. M.,
When I visited my sister Tucson, she said there were scorpion around, but I didn't see any. It's a good thing!
I would've freaked!
Ms. M,
I helped hold a large, yellow snake at an alligator farm in Florida. Never again. Hate snakes, spiders, cockroaches,
rats and all their relatives!

Dumb me watched a late movie about a few thousand copperhead snakes invading a small town and I had nightmares all night long, darn movie gave me the willys...

I love snakes - don't want to be near them or touch them - but they have always fascinated me. When we use to visit the Houston Zoo, I'd want to go directly to the snake house (then the gorilla cages). I think my guardian would be a snake (you know, the guardian from the animal world - not that I believe in the concept, but if I did and I asked it to show itself, I can almost guarantee you that it would be a snake... ok, ok, after reading a book that introduced the subject to me, I did ask, before falling asleep, if I could see my guardian - and a snake DID present itself... OK, OK, you can quit laughing NOW!).

Say what about summer love? No one ever have a summer time crush, a boy that made you swoon? I did, he was a couple years older than me, I was eleven. He was my first crush, blonde, wavy hair, blue eyed, Johnny Gavin. I was one love sick puppy I can tell you. All we ever did was hold hands and he would put his arm around me but I was in heaven at the time...

gims, you'd love the old reptile house at the Baltimore Zoo. I'd freak in there. Can't stand snakes. Just saw a black one in the gorgeous landscaping at the resort where we stayed for the graduation. You've never seen anyone move so quickly.

I also recall the kids finding a garden snake in our basement. I was such a sissie. I had the little 10 year-old neighbor boy captrue it and let it go outside. I wasn't going near that thing.

I remember my summer love from the summer after eighth grade. I went to Florida for a month with my friend to saty at my aunt's. When I returned, he had dumped me. I'll never forget it. The bum.

My summer love was Davy Jones. Then dumped him for Leonard Whiting, who was dumped for Robert Plant. All in the summer of '69.

Wild Thing! You made their hearts sing! Groovy Lola!!!!

My first kiss was when I was 11 years old. I think he was 13. He watched too many dramatic kissing scenes, because he actually threw me back over his extended arm to kiss me, and before our lips met, I landed on the floor. Ha hahahaha, I remember how flustered we both were. I think I ran off to my mother after that scene.

You, scarlet woman, you. Did he wear braces?

I loved the county fair. I fell in love with a worker from the 4-H Office. He was over 6 foot tall, thin and manly. I still think about him to this day. Billy Reinbold died several years ago. But the summer I was 11, was the best summer ever. Ahhhhhh, young love!!!!

4-H!!! Now, that's one I have not heard for a loooong time, Jabber. That and the Peace Corps...they had cute guys. Some were geeky but, cute. Okay. Back to summer loves.

I guess you could say I began my interest in cooking in the 4-H club. I made stewed prunes for the fair (don't ask me why, it was an assignment I think) anyway, I won the blue ribbon and never looked back. Been cooking ever since.

As far as summer love goes, it sounds like age 11 was the magic year!

Well, we sure to remember this summer!!!! Can you believe it's July already?????!!!!!!

I guess I was in 7th grade when I had my real first kiss... at a party. Makes me sick to think about it now. I had many a crush, but nothing too serious. The chain my parents had me on, when I was growing up, didn't have too many links.... I'm learning that the length was[probably] chosen by me.

Chatty,
Spaghetti sauce is the only thing I'd get a blue ribbon 4.
I don't like 2 cook and do as little as possible. Daddy's cattle all took home blue ribbons and grand championships, though. Back in the mid 50's I was more interested in horseback riding and roller skating, stuff like that.
I'll bet you're a good cook, too! C ya...

Lola, you must have been a wild thing. Are you still wild?

EW, does your mom recall that time? It would be fun to ask her if she remembers. Parents love talking about old times.

jabber, another 11 year-old wild thing. You girls started young!

gims, you referred to them as crushes. Boy does that term take me back. I was probably around 11 when we had twin, blondes living up the street. They were a little off the beaten path from my friends, but my girlfriend and I would walk back and forth in front of their home just waiting for them to come outside. They were a little older and probably never even knew who we were, but we both had major crushes on them.

jabber, chatty used to tell us all about her cooking escapades and how she shared her food with her neighbors. Oh how I wish she was my neighbor! Will you share your sauce recipe in the recipe section , or is it a family secret?

Do you mean me or Jabber, Dotsie? Which sauce recipe? Spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce or white sauce?
Yep Jabber, I could actually be a chef if I wanted too but too much work in hot kitchens for this old gal...

Those were the days, Dotsie. Those were the days ...to be 13 again in the summer of '69. Spent the entire season in California with cousins who, like me, attended all girls schools. Once out...boys were prey. For a short while that is...until one found out boys of 13 were so silly. First date with David was a burger and milkshake affair. Geesh, we sat there for like foreveeeer because the boy did not have enough money to pay for the meal. Had to phone his Mom who came to his rescue. It was a turn off for my 13-year old hippie wannabe ego. Then Lenny had clammy hands. That was it! I became fixated on Robert Plant of Led Zep thereafter...a more mature and cool cat. who, in his lifetime, will never know he was once engaged to a 13-year old.

BTW. After 34 years, David and I met again when he visited London in 2003 and is still a funny chap, as is his wife. I outgrew him though, as he stopped growing at 5'4". Lenny attended my nephew's wedding a few months back. Now, he shot up to 6'6". As it turns out he married into my cousin's in-laws. Small world, huh?

I thought you were going to say you had to do some dishes! Funny, the things we remember.

I'm calling Robert to tell him all about you!

Gotta share something a bit funny that happened to my partner´s colleague. 2 guys/colleagues from my partner´s job went to a concert by the Zeplin group. Their boss and female colleague had to miss the concert due to personal reasons..but she is a GREAT Zeplin fan. So..one of these guys has worked as a guard at alot of concerts and so he knows alot of the singers and groups personally (like Bob Dylan, James Hatfield and Co, Bono..etc etc). So he got himself and his buddy into the backstage where they met up with Robert Plant. When the guys told him about their boss, Robert said..Call her on her cell and I´ll talk to her! And they did..the only trouble is she didn´t take the call..you know..how we sometimes do when we don´t want to talk?? She has been kidded about that since..she didn´t take a call from Robert Plant..etc etc

OH MY GOSH!!! He ought to have phoooooooned meeeeeeeee!!!

The boys I grew up with were friends.Being a Boomer in UK meant classes were full.42 or 44 per class.So we girls had plenty of choice.
But they were too close to have a crush on..Thinking back it was a pity because some of the lads were sweeties.One in particular was a dancing partner and in other circumstances we might have been close.I think I wanted a bigger gene pool...(not wittingly)

So..... the farm boy Tam
One long summer my relatives left my Grandparents and I in charge of the farm.I was never bored..very happy indeed.Fed the chickens the cats/kittens watered the plants and looked out at Tam.
In order to try to get his attention I would hide his bicycle.Never owning up but wanted him to ring the doorbell to ask...he never did.I must have been a real pain.
I have wondered what on earth was going on in my head to do this.He must have been tired after a days toil but some little monkey sat on my shoulder whispering what tricks to do that summer.
If he had called I likely would have taken cold feet.
Such is the folly of youth.
I have never knowingly been that unkind to anyone since...
Mountain ash

humlan, I wonder what the screen said when he called... You know how it usually has the person's name on it? Don't you think she would have seen that and picked up?

MA, if hiding someone's bike to get their attention is the worse thing you've ever done to be unkind, I surely wouldn't worry!

Yes Dotsie but it was a cruel way to seek attention.He had miles to cycle home and have his meal.
Made me realise later ( much later) that hormones and lonelieness for friends (the farm was way from town) make people act differently.At home I would have been playing tennis and mixing.Often in a book or film I see similar behaviour. Indeed in school I worked with staff to hep a girl who was fixated one one boy.He was really nice popular handsome and she developed a crush of huge proportion.Even removing his tshirts from his parents washing line.Stalking him to some level.When we worked with her it transpired all she did was school/home tv..I took her walking and talking and what unfolded was a sad empty life.Yet when we ventured into speaking about him she shone brightly.Some of my collegues were angry and mystified at her..I saw the deeper story. A healthy life work balance is needed for all

MA, I'm not surprised you saw the bigger picture. Your heart is wide open.

Mountain Ash you are just awesome...What a wonderful friend you would be to hang out with.

Interesting observation MA, about loneliness driving you to something you wouldn't have normally done.
I can understand you doing something to get attention. Actually that was pretty low key. Now if you had draped yourself topless over his bicycle seat…that may have worked better.

EW, I'm roaring at your comment. Somehow I don't see MA doing that, not even at that age!