Playing on the Old Sidewalk


I looked for an old photo of the sidewalk I used to play on before we moved to the country but I couldn't find one. The above photo is a stock photo from the internet. That is not me. But it could have been me many years ago when playing on the crooked, bumpy sidewalk running by our home situated alongside a lane. Being able to play on the sidewalk once spring came was as exciting as seeing robins or seeing grass or seeing daffodils and tulips or hearing the geese flying over. 

Sidewalks were a playground all to themselves. Part of the sidewalk I played on was going up a slight incline. There were cracks in it. There was even a bump that you had to plan for when going down the incline full speed on your bike. It was best to ride over on an edge of the bump than take your chances riding over the middle of it. The bump would send you flying. If that happened it might have been fun soaring through the air or disastrous. I had both experiences. 

Part of the sidewalk was older than the rest of it. The concrete was different. So  there was lots going on that had to be considered when riding a bike or roller skating or playing hopscotch or jumping rope. Playing with marbles or playing Jacks of Pick-Up Stixs was tricky but still so much fun. Somehow being a kid made playing with all the idiosyncrasies of that beloved sidewalk much easier.

Some days I'd bring my doll beds outside under a tree that sat next to the sidewalk. I loved my doll beds. My mother bought them at work-at an annual Holiday event held at Hepburn Hospital. Of course I had to bring out the dolls and their blankets and outfits. I had to have lunch with them under the tree. After I'd put them to sleep I'd go for a ride on my bike or play hopscotch or jump rope. If it rained I traded the tree in for the back porch. 

But it wasn't as much fun playing on the back porch. I had to leave the sidewalk where it was-with old concrete and cracks and a bump that sent you soaring, if you were lucky.




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