JourneyLeaf: Life a Page at a Time

Cheetah

This is Eli with a cheetah.  

   

What?  You don't see any cheetahs?  Of course you don't.  The cheetah is invisible.  Eli can see him and always knows where he is, but the rest of us have to guess.

This particular cheetah is named Cheetah.  (Go figure!)  And he is even faster than a regular cheetah.  If we are in too much of a hurry to stop for frozen yogurt, it is no trouble for Cheetah.  He can zip in, eat lots of chocolate, yet catch up to us wherever we are.  Usually, he even beats us home.  

Aside from concealment and speed, Cheetah has still more talents.  He is very smart.  He is also able to change his size.  Thankfully, he is so strong that even if you step on Cheetah in miniature form, he won't squish -- a very handy trait in one who is tiny and invisible.  

If you are a guest in our house and wake up in the morning to find your pillow on the floor, it is because Cheetah knocked it off in the middle of the night.  (I'm told that Cheetah likes me and, in fact, sometimes sleeps on my side of the bed.)  Most nights, Cheetah shrinks down and sleeps curled up with Eli's stuffed animals in his bed, but that doesn't rule out adventures in the wee hours.  Cheetah patrols the house while everybody else is asleep so if bad guys break in, he chases them away.  I was told that he will usually find a cement mixer to dump on a bad guy's head.  Whew!  I'm glad I'm on Cheetah's good side!  

Apparently, Cheetah has been living with us ever since we moved into this house last summer.  Eli told me that Cheetah has been in this house a long time, so perhaps he originally belonged to one of the thirteen year-old twins who grew up in this house but moved out last summer.  Maybe Cheetah is like that lumpy, heart-shaped cement stepping stone with the rainbow marbles that we found among the weeds in our garden -- a childhood thing forgotten and left behind for the next kid.  At any rate, although there was nothing in our home purchase agreement about an invisible 150+ pound feline, we're glad Cheetah is now a part of the family.

   

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British Reading Adventure: Noddy

It has been a while since I posted about our British Reading Adventure, but we've actually been reading great guns around here.  (Click HERE to read about this project.)

I was reminded about posting when Eli and I ran into this coin operated car at a mall.  We were so surprised and delighted to find it there.  I'm guessing that if we'd done a poll, hardly anybody would have been able to name the characters represented -- Noddy driving his anthropomorphic taxi with Tessie Bear catching a ride on the back.

   

England's Enid Blyton penned stories for small children about Toyland and its citizens including a wooden bobble-head-type doll named Noddy.  Everybody needs a ride now and then, and Noddy is the one to ask around Toyland.  He tootles along through village and forest, his car calling out "Parp!  Parp!" (as opposed to "Beep!  Beep!).  There's Bouncing Ball Village, Teddy Town, Humming Top Village, etc.  Noddy gets into various scrapes such as goblin car thieves, run-away hobby horses, dollhouse fires, etc.  Noddy always tries to do the right thing even if he suffers a few misunderstandings, and he often saves the day.  We got a treasury of Noddy stories when Eli was three and he took to them right away.  He's still a fan at five and a half.

Enid Blyton (1897-1968) was a hugely successful children's book writer, creating such series as The Wishing Chair, Famous Five, and The Faraway Tree.  Another one of those British authors who hasn't seemed to make much of a splash in the United States, many of her works are still well-known and popular in her native England.  If Wikipedia is to be believed, she is the world's fourth most translated author!  Wikipedia, like other sites about Blyton, also weaves interesting stories about controversy over her work for elitist themes and "dumbed down" writing as well as a tangled personal life.  I didn't find anything inappropriate in our Noddy or Faraway Tree selected compilations.  What did strike me was a feeling that Blyton might have written quickly, netting ideas from a very creative brain and then simply moving on to the next story.  She isn't big on explanations or character development and there are times that her worlds require an Alice in Wonderland-like mental flexibility to enjoy the tale.  I can see, though, that a child's heart might embrace these dreamlike characters and settings much more quickly.  And Blyton was so prolific that she grants a kid-in-a-candy-store joy for any child wanting to read story after story for pure fantasy and adventure. 

If you are a Blyton fan, the Enid Blyton Society can be found online:  http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk

 

                          

 

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Running the Bases After the Braves Game

  

On Sundays, kids ages 4 to 14 can run the bases at Turner Field after the game is over.  Those who are going to participate line up along Hank Aaron Ramp (near aisle 129).  About twenty minutes after the last out, the kids file down into the stadium towards the field.

(In the picture below, see the guy on the left side of the photo?  Blow him a big raspberry.  When he saw that the line was moving, he cut in regardless of the fact that there were lots of kids who had been patiently waiting their turn.  This fact was politely pointed out to him, but his reply was, "I don't care."  He later apologized, which I appreciate, yet kept his stolen spot.  Way to be a role model, Dude!)

  

Winding our way through the bowels of the stadium...

 

 

 

For some reason I didn't expect the field to smell so grassy.  I guess the turf is so perfect that it doesn't seem real.  It is real grass, though.  And it smelled like summer itself -- meadowy and damp with wafts of peanuts and beer. 

 

 

 

  

The stadium was emptying out quickly except for the kids and the parents.  I'd never seen the stadium like that. 

  

It was fun to see the details like the pipe that serves as a spool for the huge dropcloth they use to cover the field during hard rain.

The dugout...

 

And finally our turn to run...
 

 

 

A little distracted watching them compress the dirt of the pitcher's mound for tomorrow's game...

It was a great experience!  And the kiddos got a free certificate and a tee shirt...

 

 

One Mama's Two Cents:
        Kids ages 4 to 14 can run the bases, but it only happens on Sundays.  Click HERE for the Braves website information.   It was crowded, yet well-organized.  The Atlanta Braves Kids' Club ($25 per year) offers a VIP line for the event.  Click HERE for more information.
        We don't have a Kids' Club membership, so I went to find the queue for running the bases in the sixth inning and was the third in line.  By the time the game ended, the line stretched up and around Hank Aaron Ramp and far into the top decks -- hundreds of kids.  We started moving towards the field about 20 to 30 minutes after the game, but I heard it can take almost two hours for the last kids to run.  Head to the bathroom first and then get in line early!  And there is no saving spots, so Little Guy had to come stand with me.  I found myself wishing I'd brought him some games or crayons, but he did fine as there was a lot of great people-watching to do.
        Because of the crowds, this isn't something I would do every year, but it was definitely worth the line and our child staying up late.  Our whole family enjoyed watching and I think it is something Little Guy will always remember. 

 

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Summer Joys #10 -- Baseball Game

 

 

Enjoying the game with buddies... 

 

 

 

We also trekked to the other side of the stadium to see family also attending the game.  We got to see some Arkansas family that Eli hadn't seen since he was four months old! 

 

Home run for a double! 

 

Yet does anything beat the excitement of cotton candy?  Eli's first taste of cotton candy was when he was a toddler and he immediately rejected it with a horrified expression.  "Mama, it's hairy!"  At age five, Eli likes it much better. 

 

 

 

   

Next post...  Running the bases after the game!

 

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Cousin Charles

My grandmother's first cousin, Charles, served in World War II.  Sometime during the war, the family lost contact with him and later found out he was being held as a prisoner by the German Army.  All in the community were relieved when they heard he was released and Charles was all smiles when he arrived back home.  At first he seemed to want to talk about his experiences and shared stories.  But as the weeks and months went on, the stories stopped.  The smiles became fewer.  Before long it became evident that something was very wrong with Charles, that he was a shadow of his former self.  In a few years he was what they called "a broken man," unable to work and drifting between relatives for a place to live.  He died over a half century after the war ended, yet he was a casualty of war and someone who gave his life for his country.  It is achingly unfortunate that the wounds of his emotions and soul weren't addressed the way the wounds of his body would have been.  

Thank you for your service, Charles.

 

There's Charles in the group photo below, happy and smiling as he leans against his big brother.

 

Eli the Blur

Saturday afternoon Uncle Eric rolled up with a surprise for Eli.  My sweet niece, Margaret, gave Eli the trampoline she no longer uses.  Needless to say, Little Guy was thrilled.

Eli handed springs to us as we put the main part together in the shade.

 

Once the main trampoline was together, we lifted it across the yard and nestled it into a shady spot under a huge oak tree.

 

And now Eli is just a blur...

 

 

   

A year ago, my brother had to replace the mat of this trampoline.  It was under a tree at his house and falling limb during a storm put a hole in it.  But even if the same thing happens in our yard and even though we'll always be sweeping leaves off of it, this was absolutely the right spot.

In the heat of summer, the trampoline is in the shade.  It will get a lot more use this way and provide some kid-energy-burning on hot days.  But it also transforms a corner of the yard into a secluded, leafy bower.  Kids need that.  It is a spot close enough to the house that he feels safe yet set far enough away that he can retreat there to think and be alone.  Yesterday after we got the trampoline set up and while Eli was in the house taking a break, I went out there and flopped down.  It was so comfortable and peaceful that I drifted off for a nap.  Bird song.  Green light sifting down through the leaves.  

When my other nieces and nephews were small, they also got a trampoline.  During family gatherings, the whole crew of kids often urged me to come out and bounce.  What I discovered is that we'd jump and laugh and cavort around until tired.  Then each person found a spot to lie down and look up at the sky.  Almost without fail, I found that my best conversations with them happened there.  Side by side rather than face to face, they began to confess their crushes and their struggles, the worries and their triumphs.  I loved getting to know them better as they grew and treasure those memories.  For that reason, I always said I'd get a trampoline when I had a kid.

Thank you so much, Cousin Margaret, Uncle Eric, and Aunt Jennifer!

 

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The evening after Eli's last day of school...

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

   

 

Life Savers

  

Life Saver candies.  Grandma always carried them in her purse.  She was a fan of the five flavor roll -- back when that meant orange, pineapple, and cherry but also lemon and lime.  Those last two are gone now, replaced by watermelon and raspberry.  I'm not complaining.  The raspberry one is now a favorite and a few decades ago maybe Grandma and I wouldn't have gotten in trouble had it been in the roll...

We were in church.  We were trying to be good, but the guest minister was going on a little long.  The church was warm.  To perk up a drooping granddaughter, Grandma pulled out the Life Savers and nudged me with her elbow.  I took the roll, peeled back the paper, and popped one in my mouth.  But as I started to pass it back, I saw the red one was next.  Mmmm.  Cherry.  Grandma saw me hesitate and read my mind.  Red was her favorite too, so just to be funny she tried to snatch back the roll and get the red one for herself.  However, she only managed to knock my hand and that red Life Saver went sailing.  I swear it happened in slow motion -- a small rising circle lit for a moment like a stained glass window before it began to fall.  It bounced off of one lady's sleeve before it hit the floor with a surprisingly loud clunk.  But it didn't stop there.  Nope.  It rolled.  It rolled all the way up the uncarpeted main aisle until it tilted and looped in several wide and surprisingly noisy circles right in front of the pulpit.  Grandpa leaned over and looked at us with his eyebrows raised -- which was all it took for both of us to suddenly realize that under no circumstances could we make eye contact with each other in that church.  I was trying so hard not to laugh out loud that tears were streaming down my face.  Let's just say we were both utterly grateful for Kleenex and a rousing hymn accompanied by a loud piano.

 

Both my grandparents (pictured above) have been gone almost fourteen years now, yet they remain a strong part of me even down to the silly, warm memories and shared Life Savers.  This spring when our family has been on road trips and needed to use the restroom at gas stations, we make a purchase to thank the business owner.  A roll of Life Savers is just the thing.  Eli slurps along, eagerly reporting every few minutes on how thin his ring has become.  

Eli's first Life Saver was wintergreen.  Since it is a fairly strong flavor, I expected that within a few seconds he would try to pass back a wet and rejected piece of candy.  Instead he exclaimed, "Oh, Mama!  That is the best flavor EVER!"  Later that night, he was duly impressed that they spark in the dark when you awkwardly chew them with your teeth showing.  (A windowless bathroom with a mirror is very helpful.)

   

On our next trip we got a roll of 5 Flavor.  The red one promptly became Eli's new favorite.  Atta boy!  

  

Guess what?  Life Savers are 102 years old!  Click HERE for a brief history.  Wikipedia, if correct, lists some fascinating Life Saver flavors of yesteryear -- molasses, malt, and violet?!  And if you know where to buy a roll of Butter Rum Life Savers, let me know! 

For other goofball adventures with my grandma, click HERE.

 

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What is that?!  An acorn.  It is a crushed and dried-up acorn that my child squirreled away in his pocket and it managed to go through both the washer and dryer before I found it.

This week has been messy like that.

I've been feeling disquieted.  My office is a mess and I keep shifting things here and there, stacking and re-stacking.  I half-heartedly start new, small projects yet daydream about the larger ones I'm supposed to put on the shelf for the summer.  One and a half weeks left before I'm a full-time mom again.  I'm excited and ready to roll into a looser schedule full of more Eli time.  Yet...  There's a little bit of me that clings to writing and researching and the creative life with regular home office hours.  Eli and I had a good balance going this year between his school, my creative work, and free time together.  Reaching for a new balance...

 

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Giant Tinkertoys & Keebler Inc.

My mom was good at saving box tops from various products to be redeemed for merchandise.  One of her scores was a free Richard Scary compilation picture book from Tide detergent.  I still have it and I believe it is becoming as beloved and familiar to Eli as it was to me growing up.  

Mom's other big score was a free play house from Keebler brand cookies.  Made of sewn-together sheets of plastic printed to look like the Keebler elves' hollow tree, this cover fit down over a standard card table and converted it into a play space.

Along about the time the Keebler table cover came into our lives, my brother, Eric, and I were given a set of Giant Tinkertoys.  Mom let some other kids borrow them after we were grown, but eventually they ended up in my brother's attic.  Not long ago he pulled them out for Eli.  Just looking at the box was a trip down Memory Lane.  I remember climbing into that box for hide-and-seek.

 

Our dad worked with us to build each creation pictured on the box.  

  

I had a Dressy Bessy doll just like the one in the swing below! 

 

 

 

Can you tell that Little House on the Prairie and Holly Hobby was popular back then? 

 

    

Once we'd been through the box designs a time or two, we started to branch out and come up with our own creations.  And then somebody thought to pair the Giant Tinkertoys with the Keebler tent. 

"Keebler Elves" became a regular game for my brother and me.  It was perfect.  I got to do lots of imaginary baking and gardeny gathering while my mechanically-minded brother designed harvesting machines.  In our Keebler world, the hollow tree baking kitchen was on the edge of a lush forest and all around us there were cookies and treats growing on various bushes, in trees, and across the fields.  Eric came up with a Tinkertoy design that looked like a lawn mower and had spinning rods -- perfect for harvesting those low-growing chocolate chips.  On other days he invented a teetering tower harvester to scoop up those wafer cookies growing on tall-climbing vines.  Even all these years later, when I think back on that game I can vividly remember the images from my mind's eye.  That sunny Keebler world stretched on forever -- an endless wild landscape somehow held in the confines of the living room of our small ranch-style suburban house.  

Such kid-magic!

 

The Giant Tinkertoys were indoor toys for us, but whoever borrowed them from Mom must have taken them outside.  They were filthy -- dusty but also with red mud packed into some of the holes.  Once spring warmth came, Eli and I took them out for a good soaking and scrubbing.

 

Does my child look soggy?  That is because five year-olds have NO IMPULSE CONTROL.  My son shot me in the stomach with a jet of cold water, so I had no choice but to wrestle the hose away and give him his just desserts.  After much shrieking and giggling, we got the job done.

The Giant Tinkertoys were clean at last.  I couldn't help but grin when I saw some kid-lettering left on them...

 

Sadly, the old Keebler tent died in the attic.  The heat turned it into a sticky mass that could no longer be unfolded.  But the Giant Tinkertoys -- undeniably one of the best toys of our childhood -- have lived on for another generation.

 

 

I can only hope that Eli will somehow find his own magical world within the confines of that same dusty cardboard box. 

 

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