Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Ouch! That hurt.

When my Mom and Dad rented the lower portion of a duplex from my Grandma, she became my day care (they moved in right after I was born).  It was a great arrangement and I loved spending that time with her as I was growing up.

My Grandma was a gardener extraordinaire. Our yard was filled with beautiful flowers and plants.  Her specialty was roses.  She loved them and spent many, many hours tending to her rose bushes.  They were incredible to see.  Even as a small child, I understood how special and beautiful they were.

I, as most young kids, had a swing set when I was about 4 or 5 years old.  I loved that thing and spent a lot of time on it.

The scene of the crime.
Something interesting happened one day.  I can remember it like it took place yesterday.

I was goofing around on one of the swings and I fell off backwards.  Into. A. Giant. Rose. Bush.

Ouch!  I tried to get out but every move I made hurt worse and worse as I got scratched and stabbed by thorns!  I was like a turtle that was upside down on its shell.  Picture my arms and legs flailing around with no way to get upright.

I started shouting, “Grandma!”  “Grandma!”  Over and over but she didn’t come for what seemed like forever.  In reality, it was probably more like a couple of minutes.

She finally came out the door and said “What’s up Honey?  I was on the phone with your Aunt.”  Suddenly, her eyes opened wide as she realized I was trapped in the rose bush.

I got yanked out and she spent the next few minutes plucking thorns from the back of my arms and legs.

Another non-deadly childhood mishap.  While it didn’t kill me, I did have a bunch of tiny scabs on my arms and legs for a while!

2 comments:

Pat said...

That had to of hurt! OUCH!

"At every step the child should be allowed to meet the real experience of life; the thorns should never be plucked from his roses."
Ellen Key

Liz said...

Pat - I remember trying really hard not to cry from any pain. I didn't want my Grandma to be dissapointed in me. Plus, I was afraid she'd be mad that I messed up the rose bush. I remember her saying something like "Anything you knocked off the bush will grow back."