Tag Archives: childhood

Here today, gone tomorrow…

Posted on by
6

It was just days ago that I posted the pictures of the baby Robins in the nest.  They grew up so fast…and now they’re gone.  It reminds me of how precious time is and how we need to stop and smell the roses more often.  Enjoy the little things in life.

Baby Robins

 

Nature can be so beautiful but it all changes so quickly.  The same goes for our lives and  children who grow up so fast.  Stop and watch the children play.  Don’t be in such a rush all the time.  Everything is not so important that you can’t indulge the little ones once in a while.  You will be surprised how much you gain from giving them so little.

Empty Nest

Lets talk turkey!

Posted on by
7

You might think from the first picture and the background that I was at a turkey farm.  But take a look at the second picture and you will see I was at a lumber company.  This is actually on a busy two lane road.  I had to turn around and park the car because this was just too cool.

wild turkeys

I have seen many hens in my day, roaming the fields and sometimes, backyards.  But this is the first time I saw several toms or gobblers.  They look like what we used to draw in grade school.

Turkeys

The other cool thing is that the gobblers don’t have a bounce in their step.  They simply glide along and appear to be floating across the grass.  There were three tom turkeys to nine hens.  You do the math!

So sad…

Posted on by
2

Prayers go out to the Newtown Connecticut victims and their families.  So sorry for your loss and pain.  It’s unimaginable.  I am so sad and so angry.  I can say no more.

Everyone, please don’t forget to give your children an extra hug and kiss and tell them that you love them.

Hey Scooby, where are you?

Posted on by
1

As I sit and watch Shaggy and Scooby with my four-year-old, I am reminded that they were the original ghost chasers.  Now we have Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures, Celebrity Ghost Stories, Paranormal Investigators and several other ghost hunting shows.

There are also many groups, Facebook pages and societies who practice the “art” of hunting ghosts.  Maybe this is a way to add fun into the lives of plumbers by day, ghost hunters by night.  And why at night?  Is it for dramatic television or could it be that ghosts only come out at night?  Do they sleep during the day?

Isn’t it convenient that the ghost hunters try to decide if the ghost in question is intelligent or residual energy?  Well, if they don’t respond to my questions, they must be residual energy going about the routine they are destined to repeat for eternity.

I like these shows.  But does anyone else not hear the words that are being interpreted on the recording devices?  Sometimes they are quite clear, but other times it’s a stretch.  And the connections they make between the “words” they hear and the meanings they interpret.  It’s fun to believe, but, ah, a little help here.

Anyway, the show is over and the Mystery Machine needs an oil change.  Speaking of change, someone please donate some new outfits to these crazy kids!  Thanks.

This should bring a smile…

Posted on by
2

Check out this video.  It’s inspirational and moving (and only a couple minutes long!)    Please leave comments here on wordpress, not on the link.  Thanks.

Have a great day!

http://www.flickspire.com/m/LifeSecrets/SevenWonders

Old school-house can still teach us a lesson about life

Posted on by
2

This school house is in the woods and is one of a few buildings that remain of a little town known as Atsion Village.  It stands in the Wharton State Forest as a reminder that with a strong foundation and a solid roof over our heads we can survive life’s challenges.

Old School House

Don’t put your child in a washing machine!

Posted on by
6

Authorities say a father’s prank at a southern New Jersey laundry nearly turned tragic when his toddler son briefly got stuck inside an active washing machine.

Alex Wilson, Getty Images

Now, they’re hoping to identify and locate the family. They say the matter isn’t considered criminal, but they want to ensure that the child wasn’t harmed.

The May 11 incident at the Camden business was captured on a surveillance video, which drew millions of hits after being posted on YouTube and other Internet sites.

The laundry’s owner says the father was playing “peek-a-boo” with the child and put him in the machine as a joke. When he shut the door, it locked and started an automatic cycle.

After a few frantic seconds, a worker stopped the machine and freed the child, who didn’t appear to be hurt.

The above is from NJ1015.com website.

***  I saw the video.  It was not a few frantic seconds.  It was over 1 minute of panic.  The poor little kid was rolling around in there probably bumping his head and wondering why his father did this!  Terrible, stupid mistake!

You can Google it, youtube search or go to NJ1015.com to see it.  Let me know what you think.  Should he be punished or was the bad experience enough?

Turtle Tales

Posted on by
26

I recently read a story about an 80-year-old man who found a turtle on his property.  When he picked up the turtle, he found a date back in 1965 and the initials of his then 13-year-old son carved into the bottom of the shell.  Apparently, the 13-year-old boy had previously found the turtle and left his mark in hopes of someday finding the turtle again.  The father called his now 60-year-old son and told him of his find.  He kept the turtle a few days and then let it go.  (This picture is not the actual turtle.  The actual turtle has more wrinkles and sun spots!)

By the way, eastern box turtles often live to 50 years and can live to be 100!

I had a friend when I was his age, 13 not 60, who lived in a house that backed to a creek.  It was a tidal creek and we found many critters there such as snakes, fish, frogs and turtles.  My friend had tanks in his basement with heat lamps, pumps, filters and various types of food, like mice for the snakes.  He would catch and keep any creature that was slower moving than he was!  I though that was really cool.  Looking back, it was really cool.  I wonder what he is doing today? I now have a son who is 13.  He has a tank and likes to catch and keep whatever he finds.  The only rule is that we let it go after a couple of days.  He doesn’t like the rule, but if he wants to catch them, he has to release them.

Does anyone else have any memories or experiences like these?  Do you have an outdoor child, boy or girl, who likes to catch things?  How do you feel about it?

Lets climb a tree

Posted on by
14

On a recent hike, I overheard a woman, who was probably in her late sixties or maybe even early seventies, talking about climbing trees.  We were in  a heavily wooded area, with very tall trees.  It stuck with me and I had to write about it.  Here is this woman, later in life, thinking back to when she was young and remembering climbing trees.  It made me smile but also made me reflect on my own life and think about all people on a very human level.

My first memory, recently refreshed by my mother, was when I was about five.  I climbed to the top of a tree so tall, that I couldn’t get down.  I remember being afraid and my only instinct was to climb higher since I couldn’t get down.  And then, when I could go no higher, I froze and held tight.  I couldn’t let go of the tree.  My mother couldn’t find me and enlisted the help of others.  I was too afraid to shout out.  My mother finally heard a soft cry coming from up high in the tree.  Someone had to climb up to coax me down.  I was fine and continued climbing until I was a teen.

We as adults look back with fond memories of growing up but never seem to recapture the playfulness of our youth.  Makes me think of Peter Pan, the Robbin Williams version with Dustin Hoffman as Captain Hook.  If you didn’t see it, get in the right frame of mind and watch it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hook_(film)  Also, check out the movie Cocoon. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocoon_(film) It’s about a group of senior citizens who are rejuvenated in a swimming pool by an alien life force.  They play kick the can!

So, why do we stop climbing trees or doing the things that made us happy?  Why do we grow up and stop doing the simple things in life that used to bring us so much joy?  Is it the pressure of adulthood?  Do we become too mature to do these things?  Or is it fear?  Fear of injury or fear of our peers opinions of this immaturity?  Or are we just replacing those activities with new ones?  More adult ones.  I am guilty of this too. 

But, for those of us who are parents we have a choice.  We can sit around as mature adults or we can use our children as an excuse to climb a tree!  It will probably make them smile too.  So come on…lets climb a tree and we will all be happier!