Love to be outside...I love the smell of dirt, of fresh cut grass of honeysuckle and wysteria in the distance. I don't mind the dirty clothes and the sweat pouring down. Truth be told, you can get a lot of stuff figured out diggin' in the dirt. I also love salt water..Daddy always said it would heal anything and Mama agreed. Got a sore that won't heal, or a bug bite or a cold? Go swim in the bay or gulf, you'll be all better!
I have always had an affinity for the outdoors. Of course it was much more convenient growing up, get dirty.. then go wading or swimming. Not a problem! I was the queen of the mud pies, get just the right mixture of dirt and water and it will actually stick to the pan like a pie. Need something to go with it? Make some acorn soup! I thought it was really cool, because the acorns turned the water purple! I even tasted it once or twice on a dare. I later learned that that was probably not a good idea and it may account for some of my current lapses in brain function! I am sure that aluminum pot I pretended to cook it in wasn't so great either.
I have also always hated wearing shoes. Don't get me wrong, I am girly enough to like all kinds of shoes...I just don't like to wear them any longer than I have to! So, there you have it, I am a dirt diggin, acorn swilling, salt water lovin, redneck girl. WHEW, glad that's out in the open...
Being outside as a kid taght me how to figure lots of stuff out. Like...oyster shells hurt your feet when you walk on them without shoes; that Mama doesn't like you to come in the front door when you are dirt streaked, and smell like a wet puppy. That salt water really does wash away a lot of boo-boos...still does. Nothing seems so bad when you put your feet (or your whole body) in the water, feel the ebb and flow of the waves and the balmy breeze and the warm water surround you. God made all this..He can handle my boo boos too! Dirt will not hurt you...it is what God made us from. .. and where we will go back to. You have to bend over, and humble yourself to get dirty, but look at the rewards. pretty flowers, a new project, cut grass...new life from the dirt!
I also made stupid mistakes when being outside. Like the time my sister told me to see how many toad frogs my friend Cheryl and I could collect and put in the garage...big mistake, it was in early spring after a rain..We had about 80 at last count. Boy was she in trouble! Also...chasing after the mosquito truck so you can play in the fog is also probably not a good idea! There was a whole posse of us who would watch for the yellow lights and hear the fogger, then jump on our bikes and follow behind him all over Parker. I still get a little "twitchy" when I hear the truck in the neighborhood. I learned which clouds would bring rain we could wash off in and even swim in, and which ones meant a boring "inside" day.
On beautiful sunny Spring days like these, I still have the urge to take my shoes off, dig in the dirt, wade in the water and Wait...I hear it...now I see those yellow lights.. Where's my bike???
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