Childhood Memories

Took a walk through one of the forest preserve areas on Saturday. I'm pretty lucky to live in an area where there is a lot of small preserved natural areas to visit and reconnect in.

This particular place is about 1/2 way between home and where I work, and has some nicely maintained paths, and a few benches. This is the perfect time of year for walking about, since there aren't any stinging insects out for the most part, and the mosquitos are there, but not all-inclusive like they will be in a month or two.

Anyhow. Walking around, I felt like a 10 yr old again, wandering alone in the woods back behind Mom & Dad's old house up here. I remember sitting in the woods for hours, playing with acorns and twigs and a few sturdy toys, make-believe fairy houses. I remember when the brambleberries would ripen in the summertime and provide a sweet feast in between meals, staining clothes and hands and face all purple.

Got to thinking about the old apple tree in the clearing back behind the woods - the only tree I've ever really successfully climbed. I wonder if it's still there, or if it got chopped down when they built those 3 mini-mansions on Walnut St.?

So much has changed. I went into the White Hen to pick up a pepsi - there was a shelf full of gum and breathmints at the register. I remember when the drugstore in town had that same kind of shelf with penny-candy. Well, now it's 1/2 dollar candy...

I'm old.