one potato... two potato...

Inka-dink a bottle of ink, the cork fell off and you STINK.

Bubble gum bubble gum in a dish... how many pieces do you wish?

NOT IT!!! :)

I can remember standing under the streetlight on Brookside Terrace West singing these songs (among others!) to see who would be "it" for hide-and-go-seek.  A kid named Billy was always the all-time counter.  Then there was the infamous "kickball" games (all-time pitcher!) or kick-the-can.  Our street had probably 40 kids living on it - and we were outside ALL day.  Hounds and Deers..... roller skating.... playing Barbies.... drinking from the hose.  Wow... have things changed.

First of all, we lived on a dead-end street.  I must say, if that was the case for me today, I probably would let my kids play outside.  We were lucky if three cars drove down the street all day... and when they did, it was usually it was a parent of one of the kids playing outside.  Never a worry in the world when we were younger.

We used to play in the "fields" and Two Mile Creek right behind our house.  It's what's a now-known dumping ground for toxic waste.  It was where the Linde Air Products plant resided.... the spot where radioactive materials were used in the 1940s and helped produce the first atomic bomb. I remember kids fishing for golf balls and wading in the "colors" of the murky, foamy, stinky creek water that often had large areas of slimy green and brown patches.  I blame this for a pre-cancerous colon diagnosis when I was a mere 30 years old.  If we only knew.....

But.... not to digress... back to the point.  As much as a non-camper I am... and really do NOT enjoy the outdoors... I am glad I had the childhood that I did.  I still keep in touch with many of the people I grew up with on Brookside.  In fact, we have our own FB page!  So many fun memories that will live in my heart forever.

I don't really know where I'm going with this today..... not enough sleep has me rambling.  In retrospect, I guess I would just like to encourage you to enjoy the moment.  I don't think we do that enough.  We need to capture pictures in our memories that we can recall when we're 80 and senile.  Life goes by waaaaay too fast.  Let's all slow down and enjoy all that it has to offer.

So as you go through your day today.... STOP.  Look around.  Take it all in.  Smell the scents.  See the beauty.  And smile.

Happy Friday!