On a typical summer morning as a kid, I'd roll out of bed, pour myself a big bowl or two of Raisin Bran and be out the door. We'd ride our bicycles all around the neighborhood and went adventuring. We'd explore woods, marshes, ponds, abandoned houses, and built clubhouses, usually up in trees, where we'd hide our stash of Playboys, comic books and Mad magazines. We'd get wet, dirty and bit by spiders, stung by bees and whatnot. We never got in too much trouble but from time to time, the police would be called by some cranky old person who didn't like us running through his yard, making a lot of noise or poking around "looking for mischief." The cops would just smile and ask us to move along.
Around lunchtime, there were always mothers handing us sandwiches and cold drinks in paper cups out the windows (they didn't want us trampling through their houses). Then we'd spend the afternoon usually playing pickup ball games at the various parks and fields, basketball, stickball, baseball, street hockey, tag football, etc. Not many of us did the organized Little League type sports. We just appointed captains, split up into teams and did our own thing.
Kids growing up today cannot imagine such freedom I'm sure. Everything in their lives is organized to the minute and always under adult supervision. The streets in my neighborhood are completely empty of kids, even on a perfect summer day. All you see in my neighborhood is men mowing lawns and adult couples walking dogs. It's like the kids don't exist. But I know they do because as soon as school starts up, you see all the minivans idling at the school bus stops in the morning and as the bus pulls up, the kids dash from minivan to bus in their flip-flops and pajama bottoms, only to reverse the process in the afternoon.
Man, you pretty much nailed my childhood, too!
Different world my FRiend.
You reminded me of one thing. Whenever we injured ourselves, we never went to my Best Friends Mom to be tended to. She always pulled out the Mercurochrome (yes, as in Mercury) red crap that stung to high heaven. She swore by that stuff. LOL
Instead we went to my House where my Mom used Hydrogen Peroxide, liberally pouring it on the wound. It didn’t hurt and the more it bubbled the better.