Creative Question: Four Things

I loved to be outside when I was a kid. I would ride my bike all over the neighborhood. I would run up and down our sloped yard. I would climb trees, pick flowers, and build stuff - my dad had even given me my own little supply of scrap wood and nails. I had a swing set with a little slide, a tetherball, a badminton set - not that the net was ever set up, a green wooden baseball bat, and a slip 'n slide. It was fun to be a kid.

Even though I'm not a kid anymore, I would still love to play those same games in my own backyard now and I would love for my kids to play them too. What four things would you like in your backyard that you don't already have?

Four things I wish I had in my backyard:

1. A walled garden like The Secret Garden. A garden with stone walls, a reflecting pond, a gazebo, a tree swing, wrought iron benches, a fountain, a meandering path with at least one topiary archway, hanging lights. A garden that makes me feel like I'm not on a tropical island; a garden where I can get away without leaving home. Butterflies would flutter around, but they would never land on me. Birds would sing in the trees, but they would never poop on me. And two things that would never ever exist in my garden are rats and spiders.

2. At least two black cherry trees. When I was a kid and would spend the summers in Washington state visiting my sister and cousins I just couldn't get enough black cherries. I loved them like I loved no other fruit. Black cherries and mangoes, yum. I was in heaven any time anyone would buy a big old crate full of ripe black cherries. If I had been allowed to, I could have finished off an entire crate in one sitting. I get so excited when I see the tiny trays of black cherries in grocery stores here on Saipan. But then I get so sad when I realize that I will basically blow all of our grocery money if I buy one. So instead I just dream, I just remember.

3. Tetherball. 'Nuff said. Ok, not really. Did you love tetherball as much as I did? We had two tetherballs set up at Saipan Community School when I was there and there was always a long line of kids waiting for their turn. My dad set up a tetherball in our yard. It didn't matter if there was no one to play with, I would play against myself. No, I was not lame, it was just that fun.

4. A big flat soft grassy area. For running and rolling around. For cartwheels, for kicking a ball with my kids, for laying down and feeling the sun against our skin. A place where the grass is always cool under our bare feet; grass that my feet sink deep into with every step. There are no slopes, no rocks. Just a big flat patch of soft grass. Yes, yes I think so.

Do you want to play along? Write about four things you wish you had in your backyard and then send me a link in the comments or via email and I'll add your link to this post. And please include a link to this post in yours.