I had a conversation not long ago with one of my sons regarding rainy days during his childhood. A clump of four Kids in five years and not much money took some ingenuity to keep them occupied when they were confined to the house. There were no IPads, video games, or other electronic babysitters back then, and sometimes our television was on the blink. It surprised me how much my son remembered: pulling molasses taffy, a sticky mess with more in the mouth than on the tray; creating jewelry out of string and white glue; decorating plain paper with stamps cut into pencil erasers and an ink pad to make stationery; and papier-mache eggs from strips of torn newspaper and flour-and-water paste over balloon forms. And, of course, hours of reading aloud to the Kids. Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Book," "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville, "Treasure Island" and others written by Robert Louis Stevenson, as well as other classics, and a family favorite, the "Frances the Badger" series by Russell Hoban. (I found and bought the series for myself not so many years ago.) There were activities that I'd forgotten, but remembered by my in-his-50s son. The intent at the time might have been to keep peace in the house, but it sure was fun. It is very nice to know that the Kids have some good childhood memories.
Ralph keeps himself occupied on rainy (and any other) days. Yesterday he had a rousing game of hide and seek. Obviously, if he can't see you, you can't see him. I hesitate to tell him that hiding might be more effective if he'd stop "Brrp-brrping."
I'm hoping for a break in the weather today. I used the last piece of firewood from the porch yesterday and really need to bring more to the house and would prefer not to get soaked when I do so. The goat barn is a mire of mud, the dirt churned up in front of the play yard, and the chicken pen is again a slip-and-slide. Even the little birds are hiding out in the coop with the hens. The storm last night took out the internet and it took a phone call and some finagling to get service back this morning. It's not just the change to Daylight Saving Time that made me late today.
3 comments:
Ah, crafting and reading -- childhood (and present-day!) pastimes after my own heart. My mother read the "Francis the Badger" series to me too :)
It would have been fun to have been a child in your house on those rainy days!! And although I loved playing "Heads Up-Seven Up as a child at school on rainy days...I hated them when I was a teacher...no recess for the kids meant breaks for the teach!!
Oops - no recess for the kids meant NO breaks for "the teach!"
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