@PickyPicky3 What a tremendous, creative topic: I never wld have "thunk" of this..
I'm not all that familiar with a "country-ish city" sort of neighborhood, having grown up, and spent most of my life in Metro Cities, hub areas. So I'm still observing, & often surprised by this "more country-ish, city" sort of living that I'm in, & it's nuances.
I read here..... & can't even imagine a "cow in my yard," front or back. I'd probably freeze.. "WHAT DO I DO???" ... "and a BULL? with horns?" I KNOW I'd freeze!!
As it is, when I see what look like "animal tracks" or "bug evidence," I call over the neighbors, esp kids, & ask lots of questions! Then I jump on google & wikipedia for more info!
.. Sure, cities definitely have (indoor) "pets," ... & "animals/pests," & "bugs".. but seem more limited kinds, and seems more voluminous amts of the same, .. but not ALL *these* many, many kinds as here!
In this neighborhood, we had a nice couple, with 4 wonderful young kids, the whole family of whom I experienced as quite happy.
.. I met the oldest child, yrs ago, when he was chasing a rabbit across the yard, & the rabbit was eluding him. I offered to help, since I thought the rabbit was an "escaped, indoor pet." Turns out, it was an escaped "outdoor pet." ..
... a what? .. escaped OUTDOOR pet? How does an "outdoor pet" escape the outdoors??
I was selected for this house, because this family was quite Christian, & I love Bible-studying, attempted-living Christian, turns out, gratefully, as is most of the neighborhood.
When the kids started coming over, i went to Dollar Tree, selected an empty, plastic milk bottle, labeled it "GRATITUDES," & added accompanying, dangling pad of paper, & pen, .. and as any of us in the neighborhood thought abt it, (esp the children), we could scribble any particular "Gratitudes" on the paper, anonymous or not, drop them in the bottle, .... & come each Thanksgiving time, we would all sit around, surrounded by candles, and take turns, reading aloud the various "gratitudes."
The kids LOVED coming over for all sorts of activities here from ...
- using colored media, & lots of long paper, creating "a colored road" of their created, depicted pictures of their particular path of "good memories,"
- or, discovering various "grocery items," & "strange fruit," like artichokes, .. or "star fruit," .. or "Papaya," guessing what kind of seeds wld be inside. (They immediately wanted to plant the seeds!)
- or washing the car with a "foam gun" (fr HSN),
-or playing "limbo," w/o getting wet, while "dancing" under the water spurting out of the hose,
- or, kids coming over for the expressed purpose of WANTING "Bible studies," on my lovely porch's, fascinating "convertible bench" (now sold on QVC), (lessons/readings/bookmarking, of which I tried to make interesting, & Bible true!)...
- or, "making mud pies," & "rolling around in the mud," .. (that the kids introduced me to)..
..... (& btw, I do not like "muddy things" & am still quiet, watching them, kind of aghast) .. *and* surprised, neighboring cars of ppl continue to pull over, stop to watch, smiling, as the kids were having a blast, "rollicking," playing, making "mud pies" that they wear on their body.. to creating dams, in the mud." I still havent been able to get used to "enjoying" this. The kids have become too old to continue this activity.. WHEW!
The kids didn't know "city stuff," incl "Yankee East Coast" stuff... So I loved introducing them to "strange things," like:
- using a "block of dry ice" ... how, when dropped in to water, it would emit plumes of fog. (They couldnt wait until Halloween to make use of this new phenomenon.) Their parents didnt even know about this! ..and realize now it's handy during hurricanes, in your freezer/fridge. The kids were shocked, how this dry "ice" could HURT, BURN, and that this "ice" cld only be touched with gloves as protection.
Unfortunately, this beloved family's mother moved out, & this adult couple are experiencing a continuing, awful battle thru a divorce, & child custody, ... seems for yrs. .
.....Their above divorce/child custody, is just abt as awful as my "25 yr anniversary'd parents" (& our family of 4 kids) experienced for yrs.. we all had lots of questions,then .. but "few," to "dishonest," to "no" answers...
I'm glad these neighbor kids have more outside sources for "talks" & "sharing." Wish I had more available to us, during my parents "very bloody" divorce. So I try to be, as needed, if this is working for the requesting, current neighborhood kids..
.. Now, only this neighboring family'd girls, (frequently), & 1 son, (occasionally), come over. We chat "girl to girl," color, still talk interesting life, home, divorce, family topics, & still talk (their desired) kids Bible studies.
.. The girls love to perform dancing for all of us, (& for passing cars, as audience), &, of course, as the girls age, we also play with differing kinds of makeup (of which I have plenty!!). They're fascinated with colored, & fake nails.. and all sorts of "coloring the body & hair"
And for those "mud games," I give them baggies, or empty RX bottles filled with various kinds, "flavors" of "Bubble/Body washes" .. that they love..
That's some of the events of this neighborhood...
(edited: changed typo "INGRATITUDES" to "GRATITUDES")
Feelings are simply human
How we deal with, ..or express those feelings .. is our choice
. ~ . Please be kind . ~ .
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