A pocket full of acorns........

That's all that remained from my afternoon with 2 of my grandchildren. 

Nearing bedtime I reached into my pocket for something else and there they were.  Sixteen acorns and a couple of prickly seed pods from a tree near the park.

"Oh look Gramma", my grandson (age 5) had called excitedly as he bent down to pick up the seed pods. "I can use these for a craft!!  Could you put them in your pocket so I won't lose them."  A little farther down the street he collected some long stemmed dandelions which he passed under my nose.  "Wow..smell these!  Don't they smell nice?"  Instead of mentioning that the dandelions may have been used by a dog to mark his territory, I sniffed.  He grinned up at me and I had to agree with him.  "They sure do."

Meanwhile his sister (age 7) skipped along giving the dog the run of a lifetime.  That's her goal -walk the dog as often as possible.  And when you're finished walking the dog, walk her again.

Next I watched as they played on the plastic playground equipment and then we played tag (and I actually ran!!), threw the dog's ball, played star wars, threw the dog's ball.  Then on the way home we stopped to look at some chickens and a rooster that wouldn't stop crowing, ran through piles of leaves and they collected some acorns after I told them that each acorn could become an oak tree (a fact that they already knew).

The air was crisp and I had to smile watching them march rosy cheeked down the street.  It made me think about recent advertisements called "Bring Back Play" which are trying to get kids off couches and out from in front of various technological screens and electronic games.

It doesn't actually shock me to think they need a TV ad to try to get parents to get their kids outside. But it does make me feel sad. When did life become like this?  Why do we need to be told the obvious?  I know why of course.  It's because we've allowed the things that are supposed to make life easier steal our freedom.  Somehow it seems almost insulting....

Oh wait!  I have to charge my smart phone so I can play Candy Crush.............

**Note: although this happened in the Fall, it took me this long to figure out how to get the photos from my phone to the blog...

Fun in the leaves...

Viewing chickens