Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Sarajo’s Honey Do Challenge

April 2018 Honey Do Challenge 

I always try to stay true to this challenge and use my stash up for it. Well, I have a bicycle pendant that I was going to use, but then I remembered this bike chain bracelet I had sitting around. I decided this would be the best chance to make a charm bracelet with it. I focused on the bicycle and summer memories. I wanted to evoke feelings of childhood summer fun. Carefree sunny summer days. 

A frog and A dog
A yellow rose and a yellow heart
A rocket ship!
A compass

When I was very young, we had a metal swing set with a sliding board and two swings. Typical swing set from the 70’s, it was fun, it did what it was made to do. But it wasn’t good enough for my dad’s little girls, they needed MORE. So my dad decided to build our very own wooden playset! The little metal toy paled in comparison to the Wooden Jungle Gym that dad build. Kids came from miles around to play on this new conceptual wooded playset (well actually only one kid, my cousin who was also my neighbor). It was a behemoth attraction, it had the obligatory swings, but it boasted a tire swing and a rope ladder and a fireman’s pole...  all the bells and whistles. It even had a look out deck! In order to reach the deck you had to climb up through a secret tunnel from the inside of the playset. That vertical tunnel was dark and cool and quiet. It soon became a rocketship! This rocketship was capable of taking us to the moon or the stars in outerspace or even into town for ice cream cones.

When I was a little older and had out grown sliding boards, I discovered the stream behind our property. This was more like a babbling brook less like a river. I could walk across it. I would walk upstream and down, balancing on rocks so as not to scare the fish and crayfish. I would hunt for tadpole pools and scoop them up into a cup to watch them swim. When it was time to head home, wet and covered in scratches and bug bites, I would sneak the tadpole filled cup in the house so I could raise a family of frogs. I don’t remember ever having to feed full grown frogs, so my plans were probably foiled by mom or dad while I was sleeping.

What are summer memories without the trusty dog in tow. My pal was a big beautiful Golden Retriever named Reno. Reno would follow along no matter the time of day or the weather outside. He was An Adventurer. True to his breed, he was loyal and loving. He was in charge of drying any tears that were shed from cuts or falls because we couldn’t get caught digging where we shouldn’t or climbing what we mustn’t! He was the ringleader and master planner in our foolish and silly games. I can’t wait to see him again at the Rainbow Bridge and we can catch up on all that he missed.

I love my parents with all my heart and soul. I repsect and admire them both in all they do and have done. They raised us right! We have standards and morals and are ethically sound. Their children are fully functioning adults and one is even raising another human! BUT for the life of me, I can’t BELIEVE they just let me wander over hill and dale in the summers of my pre-teen, pre-driving, pre-pubescent years! Did they even know where I was during the summers in the years before jobs and cars and boys? I would have to say, No. How do I know this, because when I inevitably called home and asked them to come get me, the unit on the other end of the line would question, ‘from where?’ I remember specifically these three times. 1) I walked the stream and woods trail for over a mile by myself and ended at our family restaurant. For some reason I thought that the parent that was at the restaurant would be overjoyed to see me and embrace me with loving arms. Nope. I had to call home for the other parent to come get me. 2) My friend and I were out riding bikes. We lived in the county, there wasn’t anywhere to ride except to a little gas station a half mile away. That was the norm, ride to get a candy bar and ride home. Piddling around both ways was also accepted and expected. But riding 3 miles into town by ourselves on a major highway was not. PS- I never owned a bike helmet until I was 20. We called for a ride home, no one knew where we had been. 3) We were, as a family, visiting my Aunt and cousin in town. I decided my cousin and I could walk to a friends house in town. She probably said we should ask permission, but I’m sure I had a good reason not to. Now, this trek was not as Far as the previous adventures nor as Dangerous, but apparently my gig was up and the rents were on to my ways. This time I didn’t have to call for a ride, because they sent the local police out to pick us up. 

Here’s the bracelet you’ve been waiting for...

2 comments:

  1. I love the stories behind each of your charms on this super cool charm bracelet! It certainly brings back some similar memories of my own youth... ok, now I sound ancient don't I?? I'm jealous of the play set your dad made you. I had to make do with the hand me down metal number from my older sister, but that was still better than the ghetto swing set our next door neighbors had. Lol. Thanks for playing along with us again this month... we've missed you! Check back on May 1st to see what Eric dreams up for us next.

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