Outdoor Fun

Does anyone remember making mud pies? Old lids from jars made great baking pans. It was a fairly straightforward procedure. Take a little mud, add a few peas from shelled caragana pods or a few rose hips, pat into pan, and bake in hot sun. Enjoy!!

Dirt and mud were certainly part of my childhood fun. Behind the old garage on the farm (where brother Glenn now lives) was a small grove of trees. In that grove, at the base of a few trees, was a natural depression in the dirt. This depression was saucer-shaped, four to five feet in diameter, and perhaps a foot-and-a-half deep. This became a favored outdoor playhouse. One could make holes in the dirt wall to store goodies, like mud pies or freshly picked violets. (There was a beautiful little violet that grew on the floor of this little wooded area.)

I'm not sure what year it was that cousins Ken and Shirley came to visit, along with Auntie Laurie(Mom's sister) and Uncle Des, of course. I was perhaps 5 years old. We enjoyed riding around on our tricycles and pulling our little red wagon around the yard and up and down the lane. Then, I believe our idea was that we would cross the ditch so we could play in the pasture on the other side. Our plan did not work. We fell in the mud-filled ditch. Shirley and I both enjoyed the feel of mud on our bare arms so we decided to take off our trousers and indulge in a mud bath. After our bath, we walked up the lane since our tricycle was stuck in the mud. Our parents snapped photos of us before they chastised us for our behaviour. We were directed to have warm baths and then sent off to bed. The nickname given me by Uncle George (married to my Dad's sister Dorphy) for many years following this incident was "Pig." Amazingly I played along with his fun, and learned how to make a good impression of a pig grunt!!

We always enjoyed tricycles, bicycles, wagons, and sleds. I was five when I learned how to ride a bicycle. The bike I learned on was adult-sized. I would take my bike to the little hill in front of the barn, climb on, and coast down the hill. Once I had achieved my balance I would start to pedal. I pedalled in a standing position because the bike was too large for me to sit on the seat. My favored garment while learning to ride my bike was a black taffeta circle skirt. I loved the feel of the wind under the skirt as I flew down the hill. Later my parents bought a new bike for me. It was a "Hiawatha," and very easy to pedal. I enjoyed riding this bicycle for many years. In the spring and fall, we often rode our bicycles to school, about a ten-minute ride. The alternative was an hour-long bus ride. Though we only lived about 2 miles from town we were the first ones on the bus.

I have always had a feeling of nostalgia for the sled I had as a child. It had a wooden top, steel runners, and a steering mechanism. Imagine my pleasure when I discovered an almost identical looking sled in one of this season's flyers, perhaps it was "Peavey Mart." I must see if I can find one. It would be great to have on hand for the grandchildren.!(lol)

Everyone of my vintage must have had a pair of GWG doll overalls from the GWG factory in Edmonton. Unfortunately these overalls were a perfect fit for our cats who had to endure wearing various doll outfits and going for rides in our wagon.

As mentioned in a previous posting Dad showed us how to throw, catch, and bat a ball. We spent many hours doing so. One person would bat out flies. The others would catch the ball and return it to the batter. On one occasion, I got tired of waiting for my turn. I went to grab the bat from Auntie Beulah. At the same time she went to swing the bat. I got hit in the forehead, and immediately put my mitten-covered hand(cool, fall day) to my forehead. When I withdrew my hand, my mitten was covered in blood. I ended up having five stitches! Another favorite ball game was playing "Auntie/Pigtails" over the roof of the old garage. We would roll the ball up the roof, and call out "Auntie." If it returned on the same side we would call "Pigtails." If the ball went over to the other side we would call "I-over" and run, trying to reach the other side before being caught by our opponent from the other side.

The natural setting of the country was perfect for imaginative play and adventure. A gully southeast of the barn was the perfect backdrop for games of "Cowboys and Indians." There were lots of trees to climb near our house. Sometimes a tree was the perfect spot for some privacy. At other times, it was the climbing experience that was important. I remember climbing a poplar tree, and then jumping across to grab a branch on a spruce tree. (It was difficult to climb a spruce tree from ground level as the first branches were too high off the ground.) My idea seemed like a good one. However, the branch on the spruce tree was not as strong as I had imagined. When I grabbed it, the branch snapped and I fell with it several feet to the ground. It was quite a shock, but I don't remember any injuries.

I have great memories of my childhood. The farm was the perfect setting for childhood fun. With younger siblings, cousins, Auntie Bea, and friends one never lacked for companionship.