the perfect place for a child to play, and good idea to clean it up for future generations, be sure to leave it natural though. i can't tell you how many clay cookies i baked on rocks... i would make dough out of the clay, roll it out with a bottle and use old cookie cutters to cut them, lay them on the rocks to bake, they were cookie bricks. fond memories of KY
Well this explains a lot to me about your wonderful imagination and writing skills. A great imaginative childhood place to go will do that. Your grandchildren need that too. Where's your boots????? :) B
As a child I had a playhouse in a clearing in an old cane break behind our house. My cousins and I spent hours back there pretending. What a great site for a new one for the grandkids : )
I am so far removed from small ones these days that I don't know what they play with or how they play, etc. I only know the way you describe.... the way I also played when little. We used our imagination I knew that. Perhaps, since I don't see kids play these days, I shouldn't comment, but it looks, from the toys available, that everything is already finished and all laid out for them. Sandra said she made cookies from clay and baked in the sun. Now I've seen play houses with stoves and all the dishes and they don't have to think about anything.
Imagination and creativity was probably born right there. I loved this Gail . . . and can visualize you there . . . setting up house, dreaming . . . "show and tell" might encourage a rebirth . . .
I have "a place" in Wisconsin under some bushes, not far from the watchful eye of my mom where I remember taking sand stone and I would spend hours grinding the stones together to make piles/containers of sparkly sand dust. It was my daily "safe play place" . . . "my spot."
My Mom said "never lose the child within you and Never forget how to play" - I am still playing. I think most of us had places around our house or in the field or across the stream, that allowed our small minds to imagine and explore. I remember helping my brothers building a tree house and Dad inspecting it, approving almost and adding some bracing. Oh, we spent many hours there reading, talking and playing. I liked it best when it wal all mine. You were born with great imagination and creativity - that's obvious from this lovely story. Thanks for sharing :)
thanks for taking me along on the road to your fond childhood memories. I loved that kind of play as a child, made sure I made that available to my daughter and now the grands. Even now I still enjoy a good pretend, but then I guess you already figured that out from my "adventure" blogs. Oma Linda
I think it is so nice you can go back. I know where my place was and I still go take a look at mine from along ago. It is a wonderful place. I think we are lucky that we can go back to those places and see the little girls we were and still remember. I can't wait to see you restore it.
Oh my goodness, I had a few of these too, even at our school, it had an area like this right along our playground. Now a days it might not be so safe in some areas, but gee when I grew up they were!
I love the land as well. There is such a special, intimate connection to the earth, the animals, and all they have to offer. Thanks for the great blog.
March 7, 2013 at 2:41 PM
Anonymous said...
What wonderful memories! It would be a great thing for you to be able to pass that opportunity on to your grandchildren. Thank you for sharing. I love rambling around your farm!
This brought to mind the hours and hours we could spend entertaining ourselves and our dolls in a quiet place that yielded to imagination. I wonder if that even exists in children anymore.
I love childhood memories. I remember this fort my sister and I built directly across the dirt road from my Grandma's house. We built it around the wild black berry bushes and raspberry bushes. When we played we were very careful because we had bear every where and they loved the the berries.
and the briers tore my feet. It was hard to move through but I was revisiting the past and some memories.
[Image]
Imagine the brush gone, the humus hollowed out from this area. Now imagine a real top of an old wood cook stove and old dishes lining the rocks. This was my "playhouse".
[Image]
Within the semi-circle of ledge rock, I had a whole house. The entry was where the small cedar now grows. The rocks were swept clean and the hollow was leveled flat with hours of dirt work by a child who could not yet read. Feeling like I was miles from home Mom could check on me from the kitchen window and let me continue to imagine great adventures. My first dog Helen was with me every step of the way.
[Image]
Today I had company.
[Image]
The girls explored my old hang out
[Image]
I believe it passed inspection.
[Image]
It also made me want to clear again
so my grandchildren
can have great adventures
in a special place
full of old memories.
24 Comments
Close this window Jump to comment formChildhood memories- the older I get, the more I remember.
March 7, 2013 at 3:52 AM
the perfect place for a child to play, and good idea to clean it up for future generations, be sure to leave it natural though. i can't tell you how many clay cookies i baked on rocks... i would make dough out of the clay, roll it out with a bottle and use old cookie cutters to cut them, lay them on the rocks to bake, they were cookie bricks. fond memories of KY
March 7, 2013 at 4:44 AM
Well this explains a lot to me about your wonderful imagination and writing skills. A great imaginative childhood place to go will do that. Your grandchildren need that too.
Where's your boots????? :) B
March 7, 2013 at 6:09 AM
What a wonderful place.....Love your stories.....you really have a gift.....Blessings Francine.
March 7, 2013 at 6:20 AM
That would be cool if your grandkids made their own little cave-fort.
March 7, 2013 at 6:21 AM
As a child I had a playhouse in a clearing in an old cane break behind our house. My cousins and I spent hours back there pretending. What a great site for a new one for the grandkids : )
March 7, 2013 at 6:54 AM
I am so far removed from small ones these days that I don't know what they play with or how they play, etc. I only know the way you describe.... the way I also played when little. We used our imagination I knew that. Perhaps, since I don't see kids play these days, I shouldn't comment, but it looks, from the toys available, that everything is already finished and all laid out for them. Sandra said she made cookies from clay and baked in the sun. Now I've seen play houses with stoves and all the dishes and they don't have to think about anything.
March 7, 2013 at 6:59 AM
Imagination and creativity was probably born right there. I loved this Gail . . . and can visualize you there . . . setting up house, dreaming . . . "show and tell" might encourage a rebirth . . .
I have "a place" in Wisconsin under some bushes, not far from the watchful eye of my mom where I remember taking sand stone and I would spend hours grinding the stones together to make piles/containers of sparkly sand dust. It was my daily "safe play place" . . . "my spot."
March 7, 2013 at 7:16 AM
My Mom said "never lose the child within you and Never forget how to play" - I am still playing.
I think most of us had places around our house or in the field or across the stream, that allowed our small minds to imagine and explore. I remember helping my brothers building a tree house and Dad inspecting it, approving almost and adding some bracing. Oh, we spent many hours there reading, talking and playing. I liked it best when it wal all mine. You were born with great imagination and creativity - that's obvious from this lovely story. Thanks for sharing :)
March 7, 2013 at 7:25 AM
thanks for taking me along on the road to your fond childhood memories. I loved that kind of play as a child, made sure I made that available to my daughter and now the grands. Even now I still enjoy a good pretend, but then I guess you already figured that out from my "adventure" blogs. Oma Linda
March 7, 2013 at 8:45 AM
How nice that you still live on the same land you grew up on. A 20 story building stands where my house used to be.
March 7, 2013 at 9:11 AM
what a great memory - that you still have right there...
March 7, 2013 at 9:26 AM
I think it is so nice you can go back. I know where my place was and I still go take a look at mine from along ago.
It is a wonderful place.
I think we are lucky that we can go back to those places and see the little girls we were and still remember. I can't wait to see you restore it.
March 7, 2013 at 9:33 AM
Oh my goodness, I had a few of these too, even at our school, it had an area like this right along our playground. Now a days it might not be so safe in some areas, but gee when I grew up they were!
March 7, 2013 at 10:17 AM
Looks like a great place to fuel a little girls imagination:)
March 7, 2013 at 10:37 AM
so very cool...used to play in the woods all the time....built forts....sadly my old playground was torn down for a beer distributor...
March 7, 2013 at 1:24 PM
Childhood memories are always the best.
www.modernworld4.blogspot.com
March 7, 2013 at 1:33 PM
I love the land as well. There is such a special, intimate connection to the earth, the animals, and all they have to offer. Thanks for the great blog.
March 7, 2013 at 2:41 PM
What wonderful memories! It would be a great thing for you to be able to pass that opportunity on to your grandchildren. Thank you for sharing. I love rambling around your farm!
March 7, 2013 at 3:08 PM
What a magical place! Your memories are fond ones. I hope you can help your gr-kids create some there as well.
March 7, 2013 at 5:08 PM
I know just what you mean about "clearing"...the kids love going on adventures when they come to visit here!...:)JP
March 7, 2013 at 5:11 PM
This brought to mind the hours and hours we could spend entertaining ourselves and our dolls in a quiet place that yielded to imagination. I wonder if that even exists in children anymore.
March 7, 2013 at 7:27 PM
I love childhood memories. I remember this fort my sister and I built directly across the dirt road from my Grandma's house.
We built it around the wild black berry bushes and raspberry bushes.
When we played we were very careful because we had bear every where and they loved the the berries.
March 7, 2013 at 11:18 PM
I love the way your history surrounds you.
=)
March 8, 2013 at 1:38 AM