Something new…
As you can tell from the graphic, I’m joining in on a new challenge. This one has nothing to do with fashion, though! And, yes, I love to play in the snow! These photos are from about 10 years ago when we lived in Northeast Indiana. And, they are not black and white…these are the photos in color! You can just barely see the stop sign in the right photo.
Hmmm…
I have been turning this around and around in my head for a week or so now. There are so many ways to go with this, aren’t there? I could talk about my childhood, my kids’ childhoods, kids today, or I could even take it in a completely different direction and talk about my favorite play!
Then…
I was very lucky when I was a kid. I lived in a very large neighborhood right outside a very small town. I grew up during a time when people left their doors unlocked and the keys in their cars. I don’t know if that truly meant times were safer, or if it was just we were lucky! Most of the homes included a mom and a dad. Single parent families were few and very, very far between. If you didn’t already know, I’m in my 60s and a bona fide Baby Boomer! I’ve written before about our playground. You can read more here if you’d like.
A little more…
In case you don’t want to read that old post, here it is in a nutshell. An elementary school burned down in town. Coincidentally, Nigel was in second grade (he thinks) when that happened. He actually went to school in the church I attended! It was fate that we met! Anyway…somehow or other, my dad actually bought the playground. Mom and Dad had previously bought two lots directly behind our house. That’s where the playground equipment went. We had a metal slide with two big humps on the way down. It was probably 20 feet high! I used to sit up there and watch the fireworks on July 4th. There was also a teeter totter, a tether ball court, and the swing set. This had room for six or nine swings. Isn’t it weird I can’t remember the exact number? Two of the swings had the bars instead of seats. This swing set was industrial grade. The swings were suspended by huge metal links (about a foot long) rather than chains.
Even more…
We also had a volley ball or badminton net. Dad had taken two large metal pipes and cemented them into two tire rims. We could wheel them onto the lot and back to the garage for storage. When Mom went to work, the rule at our house was we couldn’t leave the yard until one of them came home. That was pretty easy because everyone came to our yard anyway! Many tournaments of one kind or another were held at our playground! We played soccer and kickball at another neighbor’s house. They also had a bit of a slope in their driveway so that’s where we rode our skateboards! Yes, I rode a skateboard and was pretty good at it. Dad made it from a board and skate wheels! We played basketball at another neighbor’s house! I was better at HORSE than I was at PIG! I’m guessing that’s because I there were more letters. All in all, I had a wonderful childhood full of all kinds of playground and playing around memories.
Now…
Let’s just say we don’t play in the same way these days! As I was thinking about writing this post, I found myself a little weepy at times. When do we lose this ability to just relax and play? Why do we not go out and swing on a swing set or bat at a tether ball? Is there a reason why most types of these activities seem to have to involve a league of one kind or another?
A little more…
So, I decided I’d find photos of how we have “played” over the last few years. In 2004, Nigel bought his big ol’ Harley! He bought it used with less than 10,000 miles on it. When he sold it in 2015, it had close to 60,000 miles on it. And, lots of those miles were with me on the back! I loved riding on that bike…I didn’t have to worry about paying attention because I wasn’t going anywhere. My only problem was trying to get on the doggone thing! With my short legs, there was no way I would be able to just swing my leg over the top of the “trunk!” I could usually get on the second try! I also consider our “play” to be traveling. These are just some highlight photos from various trips we’ve taken. If you’ve never taken a train trip, you have no idea what you’re missing! But, don’t expect to stick to a strict timeline! Just go with an open mind and enjoy meeting people, seeing new things, and experiencing something new!
Even more…
For me, playing is also creating. Several years ago now, I started knitting again. I knew the basics, but I didn’t know much beyond knitting and purling. With the help of a wonderful octogenarian, I learned to knit different stitches. I also use YouTube if I’m stumped on a certain abbreviation or how to knit a certain stitch. I finally finished a granny square afghan for my son. I started making the squares during Covid, but it took me this long to finally tackle sewing it together and weaving in the ends. Now, I’m crocheting a granny square rectangle afghan to use up yarn in my stash! It’s going to be quite colorful. I’ve only just started it so there’s not much to show! I also love to create grapevine wreaths as well as felt flower wreaths. With the exception of a couple of wreaths, if it’s in my house, I probably made it!
Wrap it up, Marsha!
Welp, there’s my take on play! Next month, I hope to make this more of an essay rather than disconnected sections! So, can we talk? How do you play? Have you been able to retain your inner child and play now as you once did? Please leave a comment or two, and we can talk! I promise to respond as soon as possible! And, if you visit the blogs in the graphic at the top, you’ll find a link party!
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Thank you!
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Where you can find me:
Linking up with Nancy’s Fashion Style, My Bijou LIfe, Fine-Whatever, Is This Mutton, Shelbee on the Edge, Chez Mireile, The Grey Brunette, and Away from the Blue. I also link up with This Blonde’s Shopping Bag, Doused in Pink, and I do deClaire and Mummabstylish. Please check out these wonderful ladies and their blogs! I also am a co-host for Ageless Style on the third Thursday of the month and Songful Style on the last Monday of the month. I also host Final Fridays on the last Friday of the month as well as 10 on the 10th on the 10th of the month! I do hope you’ll check out all of these blogs and link parties! Just a note…Traffic Jam is on a bit of a hiatus as I try to figure out how to continue it.
What a lovely post. And what a great childhood you had!
Thanks so much, Nancy! I was really lucky to have the childhood I did!
Such a fun post!
Thanks, my friend!
Play for kids today is very different from what we experienced in the Baby Boomer or Gen X generations…particularly how much kids play outdoors. I enjoyed hearing about the play of your childhood. I spend a lot of my play time crafting these days – those paper bead aren’t going to make themselves! 🙂
Thanks so much, Sally! I know my grandkids don’t play outside as much as I did, but it’s a different world. I was truly lucky growing up when and where I did. I haven’t been crafting near enough lately, and I miss it! Every time I get a fun catalog, I now think of you and what you’d make with it!
Your yard sounds like something else! Brilliant fun. Great to see you in Tell Us About, don’t forget to add your post to the linky. Have a good weekend x
Thanks, Gail! I am pretty sure I linked, but I’ll double check! I had a wonderful childhood, and a lot of it was due to that playground! Realtors often called it the Westgate Park. Nowadays, you probably would have to have all kinds of insurance or an awfully big fence!
Very nice photos. I love snow.
Take a look at my new painting if you want. Kisses :*
Thanks so much! I will!
You really did have a great childhood! You and Nigel had such a pretty Harley. I love riding on the back of our Heritage. Of course it’s a bit cold for that now. And like you, my play is with making things. All the things. ? (My post on Play us on my 3rd blog – Following My Muse – https://followingmymuse.space )
Michelle
Thanks, Michelle! I will check out the new post…though I think I already did!! I think Mike was heartbroken inside when the guy who bought the Harley left. He still has the photos, and I catch him looking at them all the time. With his wonky arm, it was just truly too much bike for him. He bought the Ural a few years later, but he never really liked it. So, he sold it late last summer.
What a great post you have here. And what a wonderful childhood you grew up with!
https://www.melodyjacob.com/2023/02/sugary-drinks-may-increase-unhealthy-blood-fat-levels.html
Thank you, Melody! I truly was lucky to have such a fun and wondrous childhood!
I used to be outside all the time as a kid! Having those neighborhood playgrounds is such a godsend. We have a playset in the backyard and I swear my kids never use it. I feel as if children don’t know how to use their imaginations as well these days.
I think it’s sad that kids don’t have the outside time we did. One of my three grandkids does spend a lot of time outside, but it’s doing organized sports. My other two are involved in swimming and jewelry making. I guess life is just different for kids these days.
Thanks for stopping by!
Love reading about these memories of play! That Harley is really cool. I play with my art journaling. I get so much joy with it. Love these pics with your hubby!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
Your art journals are amazing. I wish I could sit with you for an afternoon or two and just watch so I could do it, too! We had so much fun on that Harley. I still miss it but not as much as Mike does.
Thanks, Kathrine!
I really enjoyed reading your post Marsha and learning about your ideas of play. I love all those snow shots, especially as we’re enjoying summer down here at the moment! Buying a playground is seriously a fun way to ensure the kids play 🙂 Thanks for joining in and I like that you got a bit weepy at the thought of playing in the past and losing some of that spontaneity.
Thanks so much, Deb! Isn’t it fun to see how the other half of the world is doing while you’re doing something else! I’m so glad you picked this theme because I remembered lots of things I didn’t include in my post. And, I’m always a bit weepy remembering the past!
Marsha, what a exciting new post and concept! So much fun to read and I can picture you running around when you were a kid. So cool that your dad bought that property and turned it into a park. What a great idea for the community. Kids dream! I am still a big kid and get on the swings to my kids swing set and even go down a few slides at the park when I take them. I can’t help myself.
Sorry I missed the party this week. I have been taking care of my sick 11 year old cat around the clock and we may have to put her down if she does not get better. So I have been in a sad state the last few weeks and trying to get caught up.
Anyways, have a great week and I will be at the next one.
Oh, Meagan, I’m so sorry about your cat. I hope she gets better. It’s so hard when they’re not feeling well.
I had a wonderful childhood, and I am so lucky to have had it! I do love swinging on big old swings…not those kid’s ones because they tip!
I hope your weekend is a good one and that your cat is better.
Writing to this prompt made me a little teary, too. Play does look different for adults, and adults of a certain season, doesn’t it. But riding on a Harley, train trips, and crafting are all lots of fun in my book, too. Thank goodness our grandchildren encourage us/inspire us to play. We took the grands to a baseball game recently at the Triple A stadium (it was a game between high school teams) and the babies and I danced all over the concourse. It was wonderful.
Thanks, Leslie! Wouldn’t it be fun, though, just for a moment to not have those aches and pains and really get down and play like we did when we were kids? Oh, I do envy the little ones sometimes!
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