Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Caught

Like this fading fall leaf caught in the clutches of bark, have you ever been caught in a game of tag, perhaps been caught stealing or in the act of doing something embarrassing? I've done these all and a few more for good measure. I grew up in a neighborhood like Mayberry that Andy Griffith and even the Beaver would have been proud of. We had our Aunt Bees, Floyd the barber, Goober, Otis the drunk, a Barney Fife and even good ol' Andy. And heck, we were all Opies. The neighborhood was just chock full of kids with a pretty equal number of girls and boys, so after dusk a game of flashlight tag or kissing hide-and-go-seek had a lot more consequences, if you know what I mean. 'Borrowing' potatoes from Mr. Bustin's garden in the middle of the night, while sleeping out in our tents, was a summer ritual that never got old. Gawwd but raw, uncooked potatoes tasted awful! What were we thinking? And yes, were caught on more than one occasion. One time I was even dragged into Mr. B's kitchen by my shirt. Kinda scary! But it didn't stop me and the gang from raiding his apple trees in broad daylight the next day. Now, the embarrassing stuff will go unmentioned at this time. Suffice to say, I got myself trapped in a few cul-de-sacs in my early teen years. I did a lot of livin' by early teen standards and more importantly, I did a lot of learnin' too. I am where I am today, because I followed what might be construed as the old trial and error system. I might add there were lots of errors involved. I know just how this leaf feels... caught in the clutches.

16 comments:

  1. La premiere feuille d'automne qui tombe et qui se ramasse à la main ;)

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  2. Did much of the same....and forbidden fruit is sweetest.

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  3. I love Autumn time...
    and I'm enjoying a lot your story!You have a wonderful talent to write!
    Léia

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  4. Thanks for the story and the photo. I hear you bro.

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  5. based on the stories you HAVE told, i can only imagine...

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  6. You have the best childhood memories.

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  7. You have such great childhood memories. I was struck by your comment about raw potatoes. When I was a kid, I loved to take a raw potato, slice it into 1/2 inch slices, sprinkle them with salt and pepper (Lawry's salt was the best) and eat them. Yum! I haven't done that in a very, very long time.

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  8. My childhood had it's share of being "caught," but I suspect that is par for the course. We all learned from those experiences, at least some of us did. Fitting fall photo to accompany your story.

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  9. Wonderful post. I just had a high school reunion and we all agreed we had grown up in a Norman Rockwell painting. We were so lucky we could go out to play with having to have constant supervision so we could get into just a little trouble once in awhile. :)

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  10. Amazing shot Birdman! Love the rich color.

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  11. Bit of a rebel hey Birdman, now why doesn't that surprise moi!!

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  12. It surly is caught in the peely bark of the tree. Maybe the tree doesn't want to really let go just yet. It gets cold in the winter when a tree is naked.

    I like your theme day idea. I always like a different thinker.
    BTW: I was one of those horse crazy girls and finally got one after I married. He promised me a horse if I would marry him. Idid and so did he. LOL MB

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  13. I too lived in Mayberry. Many similar stories too. I am thinking of a trunk full of pumpkins right now, and red lights flashing from behind. Thank you for the nudge there.

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  14. I love reading stories from your life! It's a wonderful fall shot! Beautiful!

    LA By Diana Live Magazine

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  15. Your leaves obviously are turning now. It's such a lovely sight...good photo! Hope it's not the "last leaf."

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