Jack's Ramblings

[jstephens9]

Let us know Chuck. That would be funny if they still did make it  Shasta I remember people cooking popcorn like you are talking about. That is definitely the old fashioned way (I think). Jiffy Pop was high technology for its time. So the top didn't open by itself  I guess that would have truly made it cutting edge technology 

[Kelda]

Let us know Chuck. That would be funny if they still did make it  Shasta I remember people cooking popcorn like you are talking about. That is definitely the old fashioned way (I think). Jiffy Pop was high technology for its time. So the top didn't open by itself  I guess that would have truly made it cutting edge technology 

Is that not the type of popcorn Drew Barrymore uses in Scream?

[jstephens9]

Well Kelda I do believe you are right  That is what she was making wasn't it 

[Shasta542]

Those things sound like a lot of fun, Shasta.  I've never put peanuts in my Coke, but I've seen people do that.  I'd be afraid of choking on one of them.     Does the soda make the nuts soft?

They were. It was lonely -- just me on the farm, but my grandparents did their best. They even bought me a little blackboard and played students to my teacher. LOL And I  had dogs and cats. The poor cats had to be my children. They were good-natured about it tho.

It has been so long since I've put peanuts in my Pepsi, but I think they were still crunchy. They weren't in there too long -- I'm sure I drank up fast!

[jstephens9]

I have heard of putting peanuts in coke, but I'm not sure that I ever did it. It does seem like you could choke on them. Were they good? It sounds like your childhood was lonely, but it also sounds like that is where you developed your love of cats and dogs and teaching. I know those things are still important to you and I think that is good. The first part of my growing up was alone cause there were no kids to play with where I lived. I think that is where I figured out how to be alone and find things to do by myself. I never have been easily bored cause I can always find things to do.

[Shasta542]

I have heard of putting peanuts in coke, but I'm not sure that I ever did it. It does seem like you could choke on them. Were they good? It sounds like your childhood was lonely, but it also sounds like that is where you developed your love of cats and dogs and teaching. I know those things are still important to you and I think that is good. The first part of my growing up was alone cause there were no kids to play with where I lived. I think that is where I figured out how to be alone and find things to do by myself. I never have been easily bored cause I can always find things to do.

Me too, Jack. I had a HUGE imagination when I was a kid!    Kittens were kids, my bike was a motorcycle, a tractor tire was a horse, my grandad's shop was the circus big top, my closet was a cozy city apartment, my bed was a ship---OMG. I was the big pretender! The grape arbor was often my house and the roost bars in the chicken house were theater seats. FUN!! I climbed everything too -- did you climb trees? Now that was always an adventure!

[jstephens9]

Me too, Jack. I had a HUGE imagination when I was a kid!    Kittens were kids, my bike was a motorcycle, a tractor tire was a horse, my grandad's shop was the circus big top, my closet was a cozy city apartment, my bed was a ship---OMG. I was the big pretender! The grape arbor was often my house and the roost bars in the chicken house were theater seats. FUN!! I climbed everything too -- did you climb trees? Now that was always an adventure!

Wow Shasta you do have a HUGE imagination. I'm not sure if I could top that or not  I did use to make cities out of cardboard boxes, pretend I was a disc jockey on a radio station, build amusement park rides out of things, and things like that. I do remember climbing trees and later when we moved into a neighborhood I used to climb around on the frames of the houses they were building.

You reminded me of the line Ennis says when you said "but my grandparents did their best" 

Before I moved into the neighborhood though I didn't know what to think when the boy came up the driveway on a pony. He was real though.

[Shasta542]

Wow Shasta you do have a HUGE imagination. I'm not sure if I could top that or not  I did use to make cities out of cardboard boxes, pretend I was a disc jockey on a radio station, build amusement park rides out of things, and things like that. I do remember climbing trees and later when we moved into a neighborhood I used to climb around on the frames of the houses they were building.

You reminded me of the line Ennis says when you said "but my grandparents did their best" 

Before I moved into the neighborhood though I didn't know what to think when the boy came up the driveway on a pony. He was real though.

Now that sounds fun, too! We would have made good playmates, Jack!

I made houses in the wheat too. Sometimes my cousins would help. We'd tramp down or roll around in the wheat until we had a "room" then we'd make a "hall" to another "room". I think that's called "crop circles" now. LOL. I don't think my granddaddy ever got on to us about that, but it's a wonder.

[jstephens9]

Now that sounds fun, too! We would have made good playmates, Jack!

I made houses in the wheat too. Sometimes my cousins would help. We'd tramp down or roll around in the wheat until we had a "room" then we'd make a "hall" to another "room". I think that's called "crop circles" now. LOL. I don't think my granddaddy ever got on to us about that, but it's a wonder.

Yes we would have made good playmates! I never had any wheat to make houses in though. My grandmother did used to make me cackleberries though  and I went with her to slop the pigs.

I had to use boxes, but I'm not remembering what kind of boxes I used. Yes I think what you describe are known as crop circles. Maybe that is where the whole alien thing came from  It is funny that I still love buildings in cities, all kinds of music from all kinds of eras, and amusement parks. I just don't build them anymore and I don't announce songs when I play them.

[Shasta542]

Yes we would have made good playmates! I never had any wheat to make houses in though. My grandmother did used to make me cackleberries though  and I went with her to slop the pigs.

I had to use boxes, but I'm not remembering what kind of boxes I used. Yes I think what you describe are known as crop circles. Maybe that is where the whole alien thing came from  It is funny that I still love buildings in cities, all kinds of music from all kinds of eras, and amusement parks. I just don't build them anymore and I don't announce songs when I play them.

(I love talking about this stuff! It's fun to remember.)

OK. I don't know what cackleberries are. That must be a Carolina expression! Explain it to me, please, Jack.  

What about the pigs? Did you like them or were you scared of them or anything? My granddad did not have pigs very often. They were a lot of trouble he thought. We had all kinds of chickens, turkeys, ducks and always at least a couple of cows.

Did you have a swingset in the backyard? That was a lot of fun too. Mine had a see-saw and two swings and bars on the end to flip on, but no slide! Darnit. LOL. I painted it all the time. Every time my grandparents would paint something, I took the paint remnants and gave my swingset a new coat. It had been red, blue, and yellow, as well as combinations of the three!  

Do you ever think maybe you would have liked to been an architect or a DJ or an engineer or something because you like all those things from your childhood? I like what I do fine, but sometimes I wish I'd pursued other things. I love watching hawks and other birds of prey -- is that an ornithologist? But, you know, how many ornithologists are there? I guess I could have had a job at a zoo or wildlife refuge maybe. 20/20 hindsight sometimes. Another thing I thought about was veterinary medicine. I'm sure that's stressful, tho. Don't know if I could stand up to the pressure of having someone's pet's life in my hands -- I'm too fragile.