Being advanced in years, and confined to a walker, she didn't have much use for the very deep lot her very small house occupied. With a couple very large trees, several bushes, and lots of empty dirt, her yard was a great addition to our play zone, where we could run from one yard through her own yard via a mostly open gate that led the way.
Lots of fun was had there: throwing dirt, building forts, overnight camping, and early experiments in setting booby trap trip lines for our friends. She was trusting of just a couple family's kids, and we were lucky, very lucky, to have her trust.
So long as nothing was seriously destroyed, it was all good to her.
The Rule, though never formally handed down, was culturally understood.
Things were different back then.
If your kid got hurt in somebody else's yard, you patched him up and sent him back out to learn the lesson a
What you didn't do was call a lawyer and sue for medical bills. It was a basic understanding among parents: if your kid was was too weak to survive the outdoors, then you'd better keep him indoors.
And Mrs. Ross' yard was as much a training ground as any.
But what it all came down to was who Mrs. Ross was comfortable with destroying her yard. Only a few had the privilege. And she never felt a need to keep an eye on those few as the understanding went both ways.
In this tradition, I am extending play-in-my-yard rights to a frequent commenter who helped keep this place running during the post-op drooling-and-recovery phase I mostly slept through just a little over a year ago.
He's a little busy with his studies to blog on a regular basis, but I know he has a few things he'd like ponder out loud from time to time.
So, if you begin to read a post and notice words out of character from what you're used to finding here (like... containing three syllables or more) it's most likely my buddy, Tully.
You know him.
12 comments:
This is really very sweet and well written. Thanks again.
However, I didn't receive anything in my inbox. Are you sure you're using the JCU address?
what jcu address?
Glad to hear that tully is going to be blogging again. Congrats to both of you!
Never mind, it worked. I'm in!
Lord help us.
'bout time!
You're giving whiskey to Tully? Is he even of legal age yet? :^)
Welcome back, "Chickpea."
Ha! I've been legal since May, but to no effect. I will drink some red wine if it's over 30 dollars a bottle and someone else is paying, but that's where I draw the line!
By the way, how did you know about the chickpea thing? Ha! They say it stuck with Cicero because his nose was chickpea-shaped.
I read a biography of him, and how he noted that he'd make that word famous in the same way other leaders had made their names famous.
But...what about the Grumpy Old Man credo: stay out of my yard!
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