Some of the things I remember most fondly about my childhood days were the times me and my brother spent outdoors hunting toads, turtles, insects, lizards, green snakes and lightening bugs....and avoiding snakes.
Some of the things that stick out most in my mind are when my brother found an Anole egg in the grass on the edge of the house and it miraculously hatched in his palm when he picked it up...I wonder if he remembers that...???
We also found some turtle eggs under the trash burning pile ashes once. We have caught many box turtles in our young life....
There were always green snakes slithering around in the bushes around our house that my brother had no problem reaching out and grabbing for us to investigate....I haven't seen a green snake in many years. I wonder if they even exist anymore.
And toads! We used to get a foam ice chest and in a matter of minutes have at least 15 toads captured. Toads were always my favorite. I don't see many of them anymore either...
Lightening bugs (fireflys) were always the most fun to catch. There used to be so many up in the trees in the backyard that it looked like Christmas lights....again, I have not even seen a lightening bug in many years...
Where are all the creatures great and small?????
I remember spending a lot of time outdoors when I was a kid. Mom used to send us out the door, tell us to play outside for a while and lock the door behind us to ensure we wouldn't be coming in and out. If we needed something to drink the water hose was a sufficient water source.
Nowadays this sort of "child endangerment" could get you arrested...times surely have changed.
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The creatures great and small are being poisoned to death by us all! I am happy to report that after 15 years and much work in establishing some habitat and undoing the damage my dad caused by way too much "ortho", we are one again seeing Anoles running around our house.
ReplyDeleteWe have toads...and have seen green snakes.
The poor fireflys don't stand a chance with the stupid mosquito spraying truck that sprays a lethal neurotoxic affecting much more then the intened victim...which doesn't work anyway!
Nice post...you hit a soapbox button of mine ;~)
Indeed, where have all these wonderful creatures great and small gone.......
ReplyDeleteWe got locked out too, funny how simple and natural life was back then, now most kids don't know what they are missing.
I remember the anole hatching in my hand! That was way cool. A couple of years ago I saw a green snake at Dad's house. And, we found a garter snake (that I had no problem picking up to investigate)last July when we were "home". I do miss fireflies, but in Danang, I came across this luminescent worm on the beach that pooped glowing doo doo when I picked it up. Now that was way cool, too! All of this talk of nature makes me want to pitch a tent and sleep outside tonight!
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