Just minutes ago I walked away from a visit with my brother, my heart filled with tears. He is in the ICU, all hooked up and yes living. I whisper into his ear .. remember all the crazy things we did growing up along the river…when you can not sleep remember jumping off the train bridge, climbing trees …. and all the things we did not tell mom!
Your message is a delightful retreat from our current reality . Thanks💜
Wow. This does bring back some good ol’ times. Maybe not as tranquil as the pond, but our neighborhood was always active with one thing or another. When I got a little older, it was daily trips to the bike trail starting in Caldwell Woods. In those days it went up only as far as Lake Ave in Glenview. It made for all day trip. But, like you said, no phones, no internet, no gps tracking. Just you, maybe a friend and a hell of a lot of nature. Rotary phone…whoa, remember that too. But we also had the old cry in someone’s gangway - “Yo-oh, Airrrrr-iii-nnnnn” ! Yup, kids today just don’t get it…for that matter, adults don’t and that’s the shame.
I feel sorry for the kids today. They have been captured by technology and are now slaves to it. I grew up on a Kansas farm. At 7 I owned a horse and on my 10th birthday, I got a model 1906 Winchester .22 rifle that I used (and still have) to hunt rabbits. I field-dressed the ones I killed and later butchered them at home so my mother could fry or broil them or make rabbit stew.
When I wasn't hunting or fishing, I was riding horses with three or four other kids (both boys and girls). There wasn't an iPhone, iPad, or GPS device anywhere and our interactions were always face-to-face--not via Facetime. I made sure my daughters (now in their 40s) had at least a taste of that life, so every summer from the time they were 10 until they were 16 or so (even when I was based in Tokyo for the Chicago Tribune) I sent them to my cousin's farm in Iowa where they did nothing but ride horses, help round up Angus cattle and do a long list of farm chores. Sadly, their kids (my grandkids) never had those opportunities and are tethered to a plethora of electronic devices and untethered from nature.
We did the same for our daughter. She started going to farm and ranch camp when she was 8. They actually had chores to do, activities, and crafts. Plus they had to take care of one animal. Two weeks away from home, no phones, and just good ol' fashioned letter writing. She loved it and ended up becoming a ranch camp counselor. Still loves horses and being outdoors. The best thing we ever did. Hopefully, when she gets married and has kids of her own, she'll give them the same experience.
Just minutes ago I walked away from a visit with my brother, my heart filled with tears. He is in the ICU, all hooked up and yes living. I whisper into his ear .. remember all the crazy things we did growing up along the river…when you can not sleep remember jumping off the train bridge, climbing trees …. and all the things we did not tell mom!
Your message is a delightful retreat from our current reality . Thanks💜
Sent from my iPhone
I pray your brother gets better.
💜🙏thanks for taking your time to care about our world …..
Beautiful story! Beautifully written. Thank you for sharing it.
Thank you!
Wow. This does bring back some good ol’ times. Maybe not as tranquil as the pond, but our neighborhood was always active with one thing or another. When I got a little older, it was daily trips to the bike trail starting in Caldwell Woods. In those days it went up only as far as Lake Ave in Glenview. It made for all day trip. But, like you said, no phones, no internet, no gps tracking. Just you, maybe a friend and a hell of a lot of nature. Rotary phone…whoa, remember that too. But we also had the old cry in someone’s gangway - “Yo-oh, Airrrrr-iii-nnnnn” ! Yup, kids today just don’t get it…for that matter, adults don’t and that’s the shame.
That's why it was so refreshing to see the boys being boys. Maybe there will be a turnaround??
I feel sorry for the kids today. They have been captured by technology and are now slaves to it. I grew up on a Kansas farm. At 7 I owned a horse and on my 10th birthday, I got a model 1906 Winchester .22 rifle that I used (and still have) to hunt rabbits. I field-dressed the ones I killed and later butchered them at home so my mother could fry or broil them or make rabbit stew.
When I wasn't hunting or fishing, I was riding horses with three or four other kids (both boys and girls). There wasn't an iPhone, iPad, or GPS device anywhere and our interactions were always face-to-face--not via Facetime. I made sure my daughters (now in their 40s) had at least a taste of that life, so every summer from the time they were 10 until they were 16 or so (even when I was based in Tokyo for the Chicago Tribune) I sent them to my cousin's farm in Iowa where they did nothing but ride horses, help round up Angus cattle and do a long list of farm chores. Sadly, their kids (my grandkids) never had those opportunities and are tethered to a plethora of electronic devices and untethered from nature.
We did the same for our daughter. She started going to farm and ranch camp when she was 8. They actually had chores to do, activities, and crafts. Plus they had to take care of one animal. Two weeks away from home, no phones, and just good ol' fashioned letter writing. She loved it and ended up becoming a ranch camp counselor. Still loves horses and being outdoors. The best thing we ever did. Hopefully, when she gets married and has kids of her own, she'll give them the same experience.