Who Likes Stickers?

I hope 2014 is treating all of you okay so far.

How are you doing on your resolutions?

How about your goals?

As for me, it's all good. I'm coming off a horrible cold, but it was only a cold. I can deal with that. Even with the infernal residual hacking, which I hope will soon be history.

The best news is I have finally typed THE END on my current project. Now the real work begins. I'm slotted on my editor's schedule for May 1, so there's no time to dawdle along the editing path. For me, that's a good thing.

The first month of this good year has past, and I'm still on schedule. I call that a great beginning.

A couple of weeks ago, Rula Sinara was here. She asked about stories of nature from our childhood. Two popped into my head, so I decided to share the shortest of those with you here.

I was a wee little girl, maybe five or six. We lived in an area that was actually part of a city, but at the edge, and was much more a community than a subdivision. The lots were large and, for the most part, unfenced.

The area pertaining to this story looked somewhat like this:



My BFF (who lived across the street from me) and I were often allowed to walk to the little mom and pop grocery on the street behind us to buy things like bread or milk or eggs. Neither of us could go alone, but if one mom needed something, we were both usually allowed to go.

The proviso was that we could not walk on the busy street. There were two additional requirements. We couldn't walk next to the fence surrounding the big dogs, even though there were berry bushes there. We loved berries, but the dogs were big and fierce. I think I was more afraid of them than my BFF was. I think they were actually hunting dogs and wouldn't have hurt us, but I'm not sure of that.

The second requirement was to stay off the hill.

Both of us loved the hill. We nearly always went over the hill. Now to be truthful, it wasn't much of a hill. More like a little rise in the ground. But to five-year old eyes, it was a hill. And for me, it was farther from the big dogs. They didn't even bark when we went over the hill.

So one summer day, we walked to the store. We stayed off the hill, but decided to cross it on the way back. We were both barefoot. Near the top of the hill, we walked into a sticker patch. Those sticky grassburs with thorns all the way around.

We're both hopping around and almost crying. Every time we stepped, we got more grassburs in our feet. So I sat down to pull them out . . . and got more grassburs in my little five-year old tushie.

So both of us are sitting or standing on the hill and crying. I guess my mom saw the whole act because she came running, picked both of us up, and carried us to our back porch.

How she kept from laughing, I'll never know. But she got rid of all the stickers. I don't remember, but I'm sure I got in trouble.

I never went over the hill again.

Unless I had shoes on my feet.




Comments

Knowing she was watching and laughing probably made it worse!
My mother totally would have laughed here lol - but she would have tried her best to hide it (unsuccessfully haha)
~Sia McKye~ said…
I like the look of your blog heading Carol. Very nice.

Oh yah, I had adventures like that and always found "the hill" and trouble, lol! Knowing me, I'd have been making friends with the dogs.

Yay on being on schedule!

Sia McKye Over Coffee
L. Diane Wolfe said…
My mother wouldn't have been laughing, she would've been screaming at us. And made us walk.
Slamdunk said…
Nothing like experience reinforcing a rule. I have to say that where you live in South Texas has some of the most nasty stickers I have ever been around. Ouch.

Congrats on "the end" as well Carol.
Carol Kilgore said…
Alex - I remember how happy I was to get the stickers out. But I got a good talking-to afterward.

OE - She was like my mom.

Sia - Thanks! My love affair with the canine world didn't happen until later in my life.

Diane - I'm glad my mom didn't make us walk.

Slamdunk - Thanks! And so true about our stickers being nasty. We have nasty bugs, too :)

Karen - It wasn't very sweet when it happened :)
Unknown said…
Oh, the attraction of the forbidden -- the reality behind the fantasy!
Unknown said…
I hate Stickers!
I would have done the same thing! Boldly go where you know you are not allowed. :-)
J.L. Campbell said…
My mother would have slapped me for making her anxious and for not doing what she told me. Jamaican mothers from way back when are in a whole 'nother league.
VR Barkowski said…
The best lessons are often the ones we end up teaching ourselves. My guess is your mom let the the scenario play out just long enough to make sure you got the message then came to your rescue. Moms are smart like that.

VR Barkowski
Michael Di Gesu said…
I agree..Your new header rocks!

Cute story.

When I lived Florida, my poor dogs always managed to get those stickers in their pads or in the webbing between their toes... poor babies. They never learned to stay out of that empty lot. LOl.
David Oliver said…
Good story Carol! And there's even a moral. Actually I'm thinking more than one since the obvious is, "mind your mommy."
Janie Junebug said…
I wouldn't have lived to see adulthood if I had disobeyed and gone over the hill. And oh, yes, I would have gone over the hill. I remain a rebel at heart.

Love,
Janie
That's a cute memory. Sounds like your mom was/is a saint. I do those kinds of things now but fail to learn my lesson. I prefer to be barefoot and end up with stickers in my tushie because of it.

xoRobyn
Carol Kilgore said…
Jan - The forbidden is always attractive. Still.

David W - Oh, exactly!

Joy - My mom only smacked me when I sassed her. I had a smart mouth, so it happened way more that I would've liked LOL.

VR - Mom was very smart :)

Michael - Ooh, your poor pups. Those stickers hurt. I'm glad you like my header!

David O - Maybe more than one....

Janie - Once a rebel, always a rebel!

Robyn - Mom's been gone a long time, but she was the best mom ever. I still opt for stickers in the tushie, too :)
Liza said…
So cute! Love this little story.
In Australia, we call them bindies. The bane of every child's existence!! ;)
Unknown said…
My daughter got into a cactus when she was little. OUCH! I didn't laugh. Like your mom, I carried her out and pulled all those nasty things out. Then there was the time my dog had a run in with a baby porcupine, but that's another tale for another day.
Robin said…
That was a great story. We call those sand spurs. Our poor dog constantly gets them stuck in her paws. Ouch. I've spent my share of time removing them so I know that they hurt. Can't imagine sitting on them. Good thing your mom was paying attention or that could have REALLY gotten ugly.
Ok not a post about what I thought I read stickers and didn't think anything to do with grass, but I guess what you call stickers we call bindis
Jan Christensen said…
Wonderful story, made me smile. :) Also love your new banner. And good for you being on schedule. I might have been except for buying the new computer with MS 8. Ugh! Hope February is great for you, too. And no more colds!!!
Mason Canyon said…
Great story. I can't help but laugh while reading it. Congratulations on completing your project and staying on track with your goals.
Carol Kilgore said…
Liza - Thanks!

Lynda - Bindies! I never heard of that. Very cool to know.

Julie - My sister's dog has had a run-in with a porcupine. No fun!

Robin - I think I've heard that term. In Florida.

Jo-Anne - Lynda Young above also called them bindis. It's great to learn an Aussie word!

Jan - Glad you like the banner. And I hope the cold is soon totally history.

Mason - I hope the trend continues!
Anonymous said…
I never know how those stickers get on me, but they do. I usually just get one or two, mainly on my clothes. This sounds painful.
Shelley Munro said…
LOL - I could picture the scene so well. And at least you can laugh now.
Jennifer Shirk said…
Cute story!!!

And congrats on "the end"!!
Shelly said…
I have been in sticker patches just like that one. What an enjoyable story, and congrats on THE END.
Cute story. I'm glad your mama let you live to tell about it...

I don't recall having any run-ins with stickers like you've described, other than those funny-looking things we used to call hitchhikers because they attached themselves to our socks and clothes, but my legs were always a network of bloody scratches from running through briar patches or tangling with grown-over barbed wire fences in the woods. Fun times, eh?

Oh, by the way, would you believe it's snowing here today? There's already more than an inch on the ground, and it's still coming down. (It is soooo pretty.)
Thank goodness your mom rescued you and your friend! Very cute story, Carol!

Julie
mshatch said…
Big congrats on the end! That is a serious accomplishment.
Carol Kilgore said…
Medeia - It was painful. I sometimes get stickers on my clothing, too.

Shelley - Time is a great healer.

Jennifer - Thanks!

Shelly - I think Texas must be full of them!

Susan - We had sleet earlier. I hope it's finished.

Julie - Mom was the best!

mshatch - Thanks!
Stina said…
LOL your poor tushy. I bet those things hurt, especially there. But at least you finally understood just how wise your mom was, right? :D
Helena said…
What a sweet story! And how I wish there were still Mom and Pop grocery store around.

Congratulations on typing The End! Isn't that the most wonderful feeling in the world? Sure, there's editing and rewrites to do, but for me finishing that first draft is the biggest hurdle.

As for 2014, among other things I've decided to work like crazy on getting my final two manuscripts published, either traditionally (wouldn't that be wonderful?) or self-pubbed.
Julie Flanders said…
Congrats on typing The End!! Yay!

I love this story. I would have been laughing along with your mother. :D
Linda G. said…
Oh, man, I remember those sticker patches in Texas. We used to dare each other to walk through them barefoot. (Kids are so mean.)

Hope you're feeling better! :)
LD Masterson said…
I remember when I was four, being allowed to walk to the corner store with my six year old brother to pick up things for our mom. Luckily, there were no big dogs to pass, no kids, and most important - no stickly burrs.
Carol Kilgore said…
Stina - I didn't realize how wise mom was until many years after this incident LOL!

Helena - Kudos to you for working on those old manuscripts. Mom and Pop stores were cool :)

Julie - Thanks. Laughter is a good thing :)

Linda G - Kids are mean! And I'm betterer every day :)

LD - Lucky you!
Crystal Collier said…
Carol! You have a new look. Or I mean, your blog does. Gorgeous!

(Your poor little 5 year old tushie!)
Carol Kilgore said…
Crystal - You noticed my new banner! Designed by Linda Kage at Kage Covers. I love it!
CATachresis said…
Love the new header :) Am having a good chuckle at your 5 year old escapade on the stickers!! Congrats on finishing your project on time! Quite an achievement! Caro xx
Christine Rains said…
I know there have been so many times with my son that I've had to hold back from laughing at moments like those! :)
Unknown said…
oh what a fabulous story! and congratulations on finishing the manuscript, what a feat! good luck as you begin your editing-- that's the extreme hard part for me. :)
Carol Kilgore said…
Thanks, Austin and Caro!

Christine - A sense of humor serves us all well.

Raquel - I enjoy the first part of editing. Not the last part so much.
Rula Sinara said…
LOL, Carol! Adorable story and even better for the way you tell it ;).

We had cactus plant everywhere in North Africa and I remember one boy who never seemed to learn that if he road his bike down this particular hill, he'd land in a cactus bush. Several moms would have to pick thorns out of his legs...then days later, he'd do it again. Oy!

Congrats on reaching The End!
Carol Kilgore said…
Rula - Thanks, and ooooh, ouch about that little boy and the cactus!
Unknown said…
That is the cutest story ever, and I love the little map!

It's the end of January! Eek! I wish I'd gotten more done. I try, but things take longer than I expect and other things just don't go to plan. Apparently, getting stuff done is the stick-thorns in my tushie. :P
Bish Denham said…
I had to laugh, though I know at the time it couldn't have been funny, those things hurt!

In the islands we called them sand burrs. Nasty devils, they are.
Carol Kilgore said…
Lexa - Now you see why I cut short my cartography career :)

Bish - Nasty is so true.
cleemckenzie said…
Ouch. Ouch. And ouch. Bless Mom!

Also I love stickers. I put them on everything, including me sometimes. Very kinky, my family says. What do they know? :-)
Carol Kilgore said…
Lee - Yes...bless Mom!
I'd love to see you with stickers :)
klahanie said…
Hi Carol,

Ouch and I'm trying not to laugh at the visual. A very good ad for wearing shoes, though.

My your feet, my friend.

Gary :)
T.F. Walsh said…
Such a cute story... Really liked it.
Old Kitty said…
Awwwwww your little five year old selves sound ever so adventurous and adorable! Awwwww!

Yay for finishing your current project!!! And glad your feeling better too! Take care
x
Anonymous said…
"Now the real work begins" -- mos def. Enjoy the process, that's what I tell myself. Very cute story; when I read "stickers" I pictured something else, but I get what you mean: those awful little burs.
Carol Kilgore said…
Gary - I still love to go barefoot.

T.F. - Thanks :)

Old Kitty - We're still friends. And still adventurous!

Milo - Awful little burs is SO true.
Geo. said…
Carol, as a kid who tried to be the first to go barefoot in spring and the last to wear shoes in fall, I appreciate your lucid look into childhood --and I sure like how you write!
Carol Kilgore said…
Geo. - I love being barefoot. Still. And thank you. I appreciate your kind words.
DMS said…
Oh- I did not like stickers as a kid! I had a few incidents of them getting stuck in my feet (not at the same place, so I couldn't learn my lesson). I was always barefoot as a kid. I am glad you learned your lesson that shoes were a must for the off limits hill. :)
~Jess
Carol Kilgore said…
Jess - If it was summer, I was barefoot. Unless we were going someplace where I had to wear shoes.

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