Critters were a big part of my childhood - from mosquitoes to fireflies - from lizards to snakes - earthworms to inchworms. It was all part of a kid's entertainment back then. We didn't watch the Discovery Channel or Nat Geo to learn about critters -- We discovered them in our own back yards. When you're outside playing all the time, you just naturally learn alot about nature. Mosquitoes and fire ants were always a part of the outdoor scene. I remember getting into ant beds and Mama running out the door and stripping me down in front of God and everybody. She left no article of clothing unturned. She made a poultice of meat tenderizer and water to daub on the bites to help take the sting out. I always thought it was fun to pop the bites when they came to a head. Bees, of course, were to be avoided at all cost. I can't tell you how many times I got stung by a bee.
Other insects were not considered pests, and were much sought after by us kids. We would get excited to find a praying mantis, a gigantic click beetle, a green june bug, or find-of-all-finds a cute little lady bug. A roly poly was always fun to play with, even if Mama did always lecture us when we touched them, "You know what those things eat, don't you?" Thoughts of poopoo germs didn't hinder us a bit. The coolest find was the shell of a cicada (or Katydid) stuck to the trunk of a pine tree in the front yard. One time, we got to see one coming out of its shell. That was a real Nat Geo kind of treat for us. Parker Johnston and I liked to have real funeral services for dead bugs we'd find stuck on the grill of the car, especially butterflies. Parker would get his Bible, and we'd do it up just like a real funeral. We'd put the little dead butterfly in a match box and mourn over it like an old friend, then dig a hole for it in the woods and bury it. What a way to while away the time on a warm summer day!
My sister Janet was a freak. She liked all kinds of critters that most folks were scared of, like lizards and snakes. She would catch lizards and let 'em bite her earlobes and wear 'em like earrings.
It would gross everybody out, but we'd beg her to do it time and time again. She would catch snakes, too. I kinda got to liking snakes because of her. We once chased a black racer near the creek in our woods for a whole afternoon, but never caught it. I remember the time Janet caught a beautiful green tree snake and brought it into the house.
My sister Donna Jo was deathly frightened of snakes, and it caused a huge uproar. We kept it in an aquarium for a few days, but Mama made us let it go because Donna Jo made such a fuss.
Aside from household pets, there were other critters that made their way into our home by abandonment or illness. Many a stranded baby bird was nursed back to health at our house. Janet would squish up worms and put them in a syringe to feed the babies.
Janet was a real sucker for hurt critters; we always thought she'd become a veterinarian, but she became a nurse instead (and a good one, too!!!!) Many a stray cat found a home at the Pouncy house, too, until Daddy hauled it off behind our backs. We had rabbits, gerbils, hamsters, squirrels, baby birds, cats, and dogs around the house all the time. Daddy had his hunting dogs, too. We named them Jack and Sue after our neighbors. I'm not sure they really appreciated that, but we got a kick out of it.
Those were the days! The Discovery Channel in our own back yards! I love those misty, water-colored memories of the way we were!
No comments:
Post a Comment