Waiting for Mom to be served dinner first, no matter how annoying at the time, was one of the greatest teachers in respect.
Watching Mom’s face, after darling daughter demonstrates how to slurp jello and loses snorting it all over Mom, and Dad trying not to split a gut as jello dangled from her eyelashes still goes down in the books as one of our dinner highlights.
Mom’s Sunday dinners were eagerly awaited and coveted now I don’t have them.
Ice skating on a three foot by three foot sheet of ice on the pond was equivalent to skating in the Olympics.
The greatest acts of bravery were when an older sibling went stomping out on said ice to make sure it was safe for younger siblings, all six inches of water.
It was found it was much easier to keep bathing suit free of slime if you removed suit first and then went swimming in the pond.
Sharing doing dishes with another sibling was always more fun than we let on.
If you swore trying to copy an older sibling, you will be caught first.
Every time you swung from the door at the foot of the stairs, Mom or Dad will walk by and nearly get their head knocked off.
The same stairs that were so tiring for Mom and Dad to climb were great for riding down in your pillowcases.
If you sneak Dad’s truck while parents are gone and then try to hide in the front seat when neighbors drive by, they will still know who’s truck is sitting at the “Y” on Old Darby Road.
If you sneak Dad’s truck while parents are gone and drive it to school leaving the lights on, the principle will still know who’s truck it belongs to.
While sneaking the truck while parents are gone does have its finer qualities. When speeding down Highway 93, the police officer just waves and shakes his head.
The panty hose with the onions stuffed in them make great bungy cords. You can launch anything with those suckers.
When children stab huge, disgusting, large squashes in the food storage room with a pencil multiple times, they will go bad.
The balcony on the front of the house made a great place for playing Romeo and Juliet.
The balcony on the front of the house also made a great spot for little sisters to spy on older sisters and their boyfriends.
I agree with the doing the dishes comment. Growing up we did the dishes by hand (no dishwasher). It was always easier to do the dishes with help than when you had to do them alone.
ReplyDeleteliving on the farm sounds like fun to me. That's for sure. And I always like company for dish doing too. But nothing will ever make me like doing dishes. Yuck. I'm probably stuck on the dishes because right now there's a big towering pile in my kitchen that need to get washed, and although I'm trying to ignore them I must not be able to deep down. Want to come help me?
ReplyDeleteSounds like you all had a great childhood. You were aloud to be kids, but you were taught lessons, too. Perfect balance. I only remember doing dishes a few times growing up. My mom let us get away with too much in the chores area. She'd just rather do it herself. I remember at a young age, freaking out one night while doing the dishes at my wrinkled fingers. I felt like I'd been doing the dishes for an eternity, so I thought I was growing old right before my eyes.
ReplyDeleteI have really enjoyed your "Life on the Farm" memories. Even thought I was a city girl, some of your mememories brings back some of mine. I think we all have fond memories from our childhood. Even if things were tough, there are still special moments and memories that make us smile.
ReplyDeleteALL your comments about Dad's truck made me LAUGH! Duh! LOL
What a great collection of memories! Have you considered printing your blog, just to be sure these are never "lost"?
ReplyDelete