I got my kids the complete Calvin & Hobbes box set in coffee-table style art books the year that was released. It's an important component to a classical education.
I’ve been meaning to get that for years—I still have all of my original paperbacks, but now that the kids are 7 and 6 and avid readers, it might finally be time to start sharing them.
I have the one from the Star Tribune on mine. (When I worked in an office, it hung in my cube to remind me something beyond the workday was waiting for me.)
Just a week or so ago I was reminiscing about the neighborhood I lived in from ages 4-8 and in particular the "wilderness" at the end of the subdivision that hadn't yet been plowed over for more houses. At the time it seemed like the darkest, wildest expanse of woods on earth. On the map last week it looks to be about one block's worth of acreage at the absolute most. I'll stick with the memories, thanks.
I grew up in the next-to-last house on the edge of a small farm town with a working field behind our yard. Two sides of the field were lined with a fairly thick strip of woods as a windbreak. The farmer who lived around the corner was great about letting us screw around back in the woods or even use the field to build bike jumps and all manner of other quasi-dangerous stuff as long as we didn't trample the crops. (Wheat summers were the best; the field was cleared by mid-July and we had about six weeks to play back here before school started.)
Oh man the bike jumps. There was inexplicably an empty wooded lot in my grandparents' subdivision (otherwise all built up in the late 50s/early 60s) that had a whole-ass mini BMX track that in hindsight was probably just a couple dirt mounds packed by Local Teens but to me seemed like the most exhilarating thing on earth.
Devil Mom got off the free-range child-rearing bandwagon when she discovered that we were making homemade bows and arrows with pine boughs we found back in the woods.
This is bringing me back to all the adventures I had with my sister in our own backyard. We had a little brook with a bridge that connected to the woods across the stream. Now I live in the city, and it makes me wonder what kind of adventures my daughter will have growing up here.
A gosh darn delightful way to start the week, thank you for sharing Scott.
The next phase is the bursts-into-your-room-at-midnight-because-the-wrapper-he-dropped-at-recess-is-going-to-kill-a-manatee-in-Florida one, or at least it was in our house growing up.
I enjoyed it the first time I read it. I enjoyed it as much today. Just as I will never tire of looking at photos and videos of my children's squeals, laughter, and even tears, I will never tire of reading others' memories of those years of breathtaking wonder.
First place I remember living we had irrigation canal access area to play in, but irrigation canal itself was to be avoided due to sudden flooding possible. But had cool skeletons from the owls dropping remains after dining. Otherwise life in large urban area residential section.
Moving to the plains, fields started a quarter mile from the house and all sorts of fun. Including playing in the building sites as development happened. One 4th of July had a fire in the stubble of the remaining wheat field, a lot of the neighborhood converged on the fire and had it out by the time the fire trucks arrived. So much fun playing in creeks/drainage ditches or the city pond at the park. Fortunately dad had taught us to swim as he was a life guard in hs, so parents figured we were mostly drowned proof.
It's a magical world, Hobbes, ol' buddy. Let's go exploring.
https://calvinandhobbes.fandom.com/wiki/It%27s_a_Magical_World
The print version of this from the Cleveland Plain Dealer is framed on my wall.
I got my kids the complete Calvin & Hobbes box set in coffee-table style art books the year that was released. It's an important component to a classical education.
I’ve been meaning to get that for years—I still have all of my original paperbacks, but now that the kids are 7 and 6 and avid readers, it might finally be time to start sharing them.
I bought the set years ago (just looked it up - in 2012!) and it's been sitting on a shelf. Time to put it prominently on the coffee table.
I have the one from the Star Tribune on mine. (When I worked in an office, it hung in my cube to remind me something beyond the workday was waiting for me.)
Just a week or so ago I was reminiscing about the neighborhood I lived in from ages 4-8 and in particular the "wilderness" at the end of the subdivision that hadn't yet been plowed over for more houses. At the time it seemed like the darkest, wildest expanse of woods on earth. On the map last week it looks to be about one block's worth of acreage at the absolute most. I'll stick with the memories, thanks.
I grew up in the next-to-last house on the edge of a small farm town with a working field behind our yard. Two sides of the field were lined with a fairly thick strip of woods as a windbreak. The farmer who lived around the corner was great about letting us screw around back in the woods or even use the field to build bike jumps and all manner of other quasi-dangerous stuff as long as we didn't trample the crops. (Wheat summers were the best; the field was cleared by mid-July and we had about six weeks to play back here before school started.)
Oh man the bike jumps. There was inexplicably an empty wooded lot in my grandparents' subdivision (otherwise all built up in the late 50s/early 60s) that had a whole-ass mini BMX track that in hindsight was probably just a couple dirt mounds packed by Local Teens but to me seemed like the most exhilarating thing on earth.
Devil Mom got off the free-range child-rearing bandwagon when she discovered that we were making homemade bows and arrows with pine boughs we found back in the woods.
This is bringing me back to all the adventures I had with my sister in our own backyard. We had a little brook with a bridge that connected to the woods across the stream. Now I live in the city, and it makes me wonder what kind of adventures my daughter will have growing up here.
A gosh darn delightful way to start the week, thank you for sharing Scott.
The next phase is the bursts-into-your-room-at-midnight-because-the-wrapper-he-dropped-at-recess-is-going-to-kill-a-manatee-in-Florida one, or at least it was in our house growing up.
I enjoyed it the first time I read it. I enjoyed it as much today. Just as I will never tire of looking at photos and videos of my children's squeals, laughter, and even tears, I will never tire of reading others' memories of those years of breathtaking wonder.
First place I remember living we had irrigation canal access area to play in, but irrigation canal itself was to be avoided due to sudden flooding possible. But had cool skeletons from the owls dropping remains after dining. Otherwise life in large urban area residential section.
Moving to the plains, fields started a quarter mile from the house and all sorts of fun. Including playing in the building sites as development happened. One 4th of July had a fire in the stubble of the remaining wheat field, a lot of the neighborhood converged on the fire and had it out by the time the fire trucks arrived. So much fun playing in creeks/drainage ditches or the city pond at the park. Fortunately dad had taught us to swim as he was a life guard in hs, so parents figured we were mostly drowned proof.
Calvin and Hobbes for September 30, 1988 | GoComics.com https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1988/09/30 via @GoComics
children's classic about doing the same thing in the great lakes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddle-to-the-Sea