Another
thing that Melody liked doing was exploring. There was never a single spot
ANYWHERE that did not come under Melody’s careful scrutiny; no tree was left
unclimbed (did I ever mention that you would be safe in calling Melody a
tomboy?); no alleyway uncombed (unless she was bodily dragged away) and no
cinder-block left un-poked or unturned (you never knew if there might be a
blue-belly lizard hiding in some chink there…).
When
she wasn’t busy hunting for lizards under rocks or blocks, she was busy exploring
with her friend Steve Even. And, when the two of them started exploring, watch
out! That’s when her exploring sometimes got her into some kind of trouble.
Steve
moved into the neighborhood just before school started in the third grade, but
Melody
didn’t meet him until school started. He was in her class, and she
really disliked him at first, because all you had to do was look at him to know he was Trouble with
a capital “T”, but then, when she found out they had a really neat tree in his
yard with a Tarzan vine hanging from it (it was really a rope, but hey! Melody
had no compunctions about using her imagination to create memorable moments),
she was ready to join forces. And whatever other misgivings she might have
about him, he liked animals almost as
much as she did.
 |
| Blue Belly Fence Lizard |
Together,
they explored places that alone they might have had some qualms about. One of
the places they explored was a haunted house (see “H” is for Haunted House, to
be posted in the future). Another was what they called the peacock farm, which
indirectly caused a great many nightmares for our girl.
They
also explored down at the Back Bay, which was really fun and just across the
street from their school. There were a lot of small canyons running through the
whole area surrounding the bay itself. The Back Bay has now been named a
Natural Reserve, which should give a pretty good idea just how interesting it
was.
They
found gourds and lizards and snakes (no rattlesnakes). They found salamanders and
jack rabbits and lots of holes that were, fortunately, too small for them to
get into. They saw lots of birds and flowers. And gophers and lots of junk. And
mud; lots of mud, along with salt. It was a paradise for two young explorers.
They
also explored around Steve’s house and discovered Steve’s dad feeding their
kittens brandy “because, he said, “it stunts their growth.” His intent was to
create a breed of “teacup kittens”. Both
Melody and Steve were highly incensed over that particular discovery, because
it went against everything they loved and believed in.
Everywhere
they went there was something to be explored, and explore they did.
When
you were a child did you like to explore new things (or old) or did you just
like to read about explorations? Share with us, if you’d like.
 |
| By Basar - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8879663 |
I have always loved exploring and still do - give me off the beaten track any day!! Of course, I've had my fair share of adventures because of it but I'm still here to tell the tale and there are far more of them to tell than if I had just kept to the clear cut and sign-posted path! I think Melody sounds like my type of gal :)
ReplyDeletePempi
A Stormy’s Sidekick
Special Teaching at Pempi’s Palace
Ah yes, the adventures. I was on my way to Italy, but had intended to spend a few days in London and then on to Folkestone where my maternal grandmother was from originally. I got stranded in London, because my luggage got lost somewhere between JFK and Heathrow. And so, I wandered around London. I found the best eating places for little; I discovered you paid extra for tomato sauce at Pizzerias and, best of all I discovered that you could get the best seats in the London Opera (I think it was called that--the one in Piccadilly Circus) for only 99p. Of course, that was a rather long time ago, but still, 99p was a pretty good price. And in Italy? Ah, now...she (I) was there for 31 years, so you can just imagine the things she found...
DeleteThank you s much for dropping in--I love company. ☺
Giving kittens alcohol to stunt their growth?! That's deplorable!
ReplyDeleteHow great that Melody had a like-minded friend, though. Good thing those holes were too small. I can just imagine how much trouble they might have found, otherwise. ☺
Unfortunately, in those days animal cruelty wasn't against the law. Had it been, you can be sure that her mom would have been the first person to inform the police. She knew because "Steve's" dad told her personally. Melody didn't know they even knew each other until she told her that. Of course, it shouldn't surprise her-she and Steve were in the same class.
DeleteYes, who knows what were in those holes... §(°_°)§