What was your favourite game?

As a child, I mixed it up so much with my gang of friends who were all boys that my mom thought they forgot I was a girl. In street baseball, I batted right-handed but for some reason I played street hockey as a lefty.

We used to hang out in a trailer and play endless games of Monopoly, Risk and Life.

But what I loved most of all was roaming in the woods, keeping an eye out for frogs and snakes, just drinking in the freedom and the joy of the trees all around.

And you? What did you love to play?

Hugs,

Nicole

Re: What was your favourite game?

Marbles!  Man-o-man we were crazy over marbles.  But then …

… I read the wonderful book, “Harriet the Spy” and that launched a whole new episode in my life.  I became a sleuth.  I carried a 'sleuth pad' with me and spied on people; taking careful and detailed notes of conversations that weren't meant for my ears.

- Laurie

Re: What was your favourite game?

You had brought up some wonderful memories, Laurie.  I used to love playing allies as well….even beat many a high roller that were years older than myself, whom which felt some what very humiliated when it came to being skunked by a much younger person.

I also used to love reading Archie comic books, and loved the advertisements that were in back of them……the “x-ray” goggles - never did work…hee-hee:)

Re: What was your favourite game?

Yes, marbles and Harriet the Spy. I'm sure she inspired so many girls to sleuthing. I'd drive everyone crazy with that :)

Those x-ray goggles were such a disappointment eh? ;) and what about those Sea-Monkeys that didn't really wear crowns? lol

Hugs,

Nicole

Re: What was your favourite game?

Re: What was your favourite game?

Euh, a BOY! BLAH! COOTIES!

Re: What was your favourite game?

Thanks, ModDov! :) and Ket for spraying lol

Re: What was your favourite game?

I loved playing “double dutch”, climbing trees, wondering off in the woods and looking for wild flowers, and leprechauns.

I had come across this most beautiful flower, all alone amongst the woods, which now - know it to have been a very rare flower indeed, and that only grows in certain areas…a “Lady Slipper,” to be exact! It stood there all alone, and as I started to look around the forest, I noticed that the trees were getting bigger by the minute, and the wind rustling through the roughage of plant life were starting to freak me out.

I had carried with me an empty match box that I could carry a leprechaun home in, which was my intent to begin with as I wondered off into the woods.  I wanted to capture me one so that I can have many wishes bestowed upon me.
I never did pick the flower, so I stared to make my journey back home, whispering silently amongst the tree branches…..”here leprechaun”.

What had inspired this dream of mine, was a Bonanza film I had seen on tv….the one when Hoss Cartwright met up with one….any one remember that airing of a show?
Any ways, it was then that I decided to fill my next days adventure in search for one. 
Well, the match box got filled with other trinkets instead, since then…..oh well….maybe next time:-)

Re: What was your favourite game?

Oh, double dutch, never could figure that out. 

Leprechauns. Oh! What a wonderful story.

Hugs,

Nicole

Re: What was your favourite game?

Shhhh. I'm not supposed to be in here. I snuck in. I know girls are SUPPOSED to be Tom Boys, because if you are not then what are you? Sissy girls? Hummm. I know that you are supposed to want to be Jo when you play little women and I wanted to be Beth, but they kept saying I had to be Amy. I read the book again. What is wrong with Amy? Want to know the truth? Jo wrote the book. Uh hu. THAT is what is wrong with Amy.

My favorite game is whatever I thought up today. Lots of times what I think up is too weird for everybody else so I play alone. I like to play alone. The neighbors come over and say, “Can you play?” and I say, “I'm already playing something,” and they say, “Who are you playing with?” and I say, “I'm playing alone.” and they say, “You can't PLAY alone!” But what they mean is they can't play alone and if they were alone they would go watch TV because they wouldn't know what to do. This is not my problem.

Oh. I forgot I wasn't supposed to be in here, cause I'm not one. I like to be outside and climb the trees and play in the dirt, but that is because I am a Dryad, not cause I'm a Tom Boy. Sometimes I try to be one, but I'm not very good at it. Most of all, I suppose, because I talk too much.

Re: What was your favourite game?

*whispering* hi! it's ok you're here… 

You had to be Amy! Oh gosh. Yes, it's definitely Jo's perspective. I wonder what the book would have been had Amy written it?

Hey, you talk too much? So do I! I think this secret hideout is definitely open to dryads too. In fact I'm going to change the sign.

Re: What was your favourite game?

Welcome Dryad - I wish I had been there when you arrived.  I am a friend of the trees as well.

- Laurie

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Perfect picture, Laurie. And you remind me I haven't changed the signpost yet. Just now…

Re: What was your favourite game?

Thank you Laurie and Nicole. I got tears in my nose when I read that you put on the signpost that Dryad's could come here. I get tears in my nose when I am more happy than my throat can take by itself. Quite often the tears escape. I cry a lot. I cry when I am too happy and I cry when I am hurt and I cry when I am sad and when I am lonesome for someone. That's funny. I don't get just plain lonesome. If there aren't any people around I can always find someone in a book or I play with a tree or I make someone up. I DO get lonesome for people who are not there like my Grandy when she goes visiting or even my Daddy when he is at school.

Laurie, that is a delicious Dryad. I have taken him/her over to my file of Dryad pictures. I like the way the bark comes up the arm here. I love sitting right in the folds of trunk and branch like this.

Thank you again and another again for making a welcome for me. So many places want to keep you out when you are different. What if the whole world got like Gaia and made a way to make everybody welcome, to let everybody in? What if the whole world got like Gaia?

This earth is pink. THAT would be cool. This world is from the people trying to stop Breast Cancer. Breast Cancer took my sister away. Now tears are in my nose again. But people are working to stop Breast Cancer so that one day it won't take anyone else's sister away. That will be a good day.

Re: What was your favourite game?

Aw honey, now tears are in my eyes… your sister lost to Breast Cancer -let us work for that day together when it's eradicated!

Warm hugs,

Nicole

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Breast cancer took my mother too.  And I miss her more than tongue can tell.

Tears in nose,

- Laurie

Re: What was your favourite game?

Hi, folks - my relationship with my mom was really ambivalent - and I miss her achingly.  She died from lung cancer that had moved to the brain before it was found.  A poignant part of the story - because her mother died of breast cancer, my mom was involved in the tamoxiphen (sp) breast cancer study in Columbus that ended early because the results were so promising.  I was her guest at a thank you dinner where in announcing the results, they mentioned that one of the area participants had been diagnosed with lung cancer during the study - that was mom.  She died eighteen months later.


[tears flowing - chest hurting]


Sylvia

Re: What was your favourite game?

Oh my dear Laurie and Sylvia. Words fail before such deep pain, but big, big warm hugs to you both… 

Re: What was your favourite game?

I am so sorry you have both lost family to cancer.
I keep hearing that dreaded word a lot lately.
Two work colleagues have been diagnosed, my ex and another work colleagues husband.
Much love to you both Laurie and Sylvia ((hugs))
Love mia xx

I played alone mostly and my favourites were two ball, skipping, whip and top and skates.

Re: What was your favourite game?

hi mia, sorry to hear about your colleagues :(

what's two ball?

Love,

Nicole

Re: What was your favourite game?

mmm, To Ball, ok, it's juggling two balls.
Throw one against a wall, put other in right hand and catch first with left.
You chant a song too.
123(throw and catch 3 times) and over (next throw is overarm
456 and over
789 and over
10 and over
catch the ball (stop throwing and hold 2 balls in hands

The next verse is
123 and dropsy (lthrow ball to wall and let it drop once before catching)
456 and dropsy
etc

There are loads more verses and loads more songs with different themes and actions, under (leg) backsie (behind the body, upsie (throw upwards)

I still play with my g/kids tennis balls lol

Re: What was your favourite game?

well, that's a new one for me! thanks so much for explaining,

More Hugs,

Nicole

Re: What was your favourite game?

Hi Tom Boy Girls! (& me hehehehe)

I came today to show my Dryad with the Lioness in a tree to Laurie. Then I read about how cancer had taken away Laurie and Sylvia's mother's and Mia's colleges. It seems not to care who it hurts. I do not like it. It got me too for awhile, but I got chopped up a little and the doctors chased it away. I hope it doesn't come back. I have a problem because the United States Government were playing with matches when they shouldn't have been and they made a whole bunch of big explosions which did look pretty cool, but after they turned into mushroom clouds, the wind was full of darkness that causes cancer and it blew right down out of Nevada and on to my little town in Southern Utah. Some people got cancer right away and died, but then it seemed OK until the people who were little then started to grow up and then we all started to get cancer. That is how my sister got taken away. You can read about the bombs and see them here:
 http://lightdancing.gaia.com/blog/2007/3/downwinder_-_waiting

The bombs look cool, but they were not. My Daddy was supposed to go watch them blow up, but he got the flu and that was one time the flu was good because all the people who watched died very quickly and I wouldn't have had my Daddy all the time I was growing up, which would have been terrible.
If you want to you can read about my Daddy here:
http://lightdancing.gaia.com/blog/2007/6/remembering_daddy

And if you want to, you can read about my sister who was taken away from me here. I still miss her so much. There were so many secrets and now I'm the only one who knows.
http://lightdancing.gaia.com/blog/2008/2/in_memorium

Thank you for being here to talk to, even about sad things

Re: What was your favourite game?

Hi, Dryad - wow.  [gently sharing a polished diamond with you].

[feeling like we are all in a tree house together here - an experience I/we didn't have as kids].


I treasure the sacred space of play and tears that is forming here -


[sitting for a moment in silence]



thank you -



Sylvia

Re: What was your favourite game?

sweet Dryad and Sylvia,

I too honour this space where we can share so deeply of our losses and grief.

Much love to you both,

Nicole

Re: What was your favourite game?

Now, I'm back with more fun stuff. These are two of my best games.

* O'Larry. You bounce your ball (soccer size or you can knife off with your brother's basket ball, just be sure it is blown up really good so you get lots of bounce) So, you bounce your ball and you say:
1,2,3, O' Larry
4,5,6, O'Larry
7,8,9, O'Larry
10 O'Larry Postmen

You use the tune to 1 little 2 little 3 little Native American's. The deal is that when you get to O'Larry you have to put your leg over the bouncing ball. When you get to 10 you have to go over twice fast on O'Larry and Postman. You go faster and faster and bounce the ball higher and higher so you have to get your leg up higher. You can do it with someone else if you have two balls, but mostly I did it alone because I was too good and every one got mad at me. Did you ever notice that? Groan ups say you aren't supposed to say things like “I am really superior at O'Larry Postman.” I have to think about that some more

Here is a man with no face bouncing his ball. He doesn't do O'Larry you have to imagine.  The next picture is the kind of ball you sit on. I wish someone would have invented these before they did. I sure would have gone far and fast on one of these the first time I was five!

Re: What was your favourite game?

Those balls you can sit at are fantastic aren't they? And aren't you glad there are no tiresome groan ups in our hideout so we can shout out loud, “Dryad is Number One at O'Larry Postman! Woooooooooooooooooooo!”

Hugs,

Nicole

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Dryad (EPC)-

I followed your links and read each one.  Thank you for sharing your father.  Thank you for sharing your sister.  Thank you for sharing your beautiful artwork.  Thank you for sharing your heart.

- Laurie

Re: What was your favourite game?

FLYING!!

THIS was one of my mostest favoritest games of all time. All my family liked to play badminton, but the poles that hold the net kept getting bent and broken. So my Daddy took two old tires and he poured them full of cement then he put a very strong pipe into each one, stuck them in the cement. I thought badminton was OK, but most of I liked playing with the poles. I would rock and rock it until I had tipped it on it’s side. Then I held on to the very top of the pipe, jumped hard and it would fly me in a soaring arch through the sky up and over until it was sitting on it’s side on the other side. Then I flew back! You could let go at the top, but it really wasn’t as satisfactory as it sounds like it might be, going all the way over was best. The badminton jumpers were huge. I had an idea that I just thought they were huge because I was so small, but one summer not too long ago I measured them and they are ten feet tall! It was quite a spectacular ride when I was a very little Dryad and a great place for playing flying. I was often the Fierce Fey with Bat Wings made of suede and leather when I flew there. The kind of Fey who have fragile wings like butterflies would never have made that wild ride, their wings would have ripped to pieces on stray stars and been beaten into tatters by the wind of outer space. Soft, gentle, garden Fey, they fly just by big skips, leaps and a cartwheel or two. When I jumped off the playhouse I was the Wicked Wildcat. The Wicked Wildcat had big wings covered with golden fur. When the wings folded up it was like the fur between cats toes. I always loved the fur between cats toes. When I was the Wicked Wildcat I waited for prey and then I flew off the rocks and POUNCED them. I did not pounce real people because I was not supposed to jump off the play house and if I pounced real people I would get caught. It did, indeed, make my feet sting when I landed, but it was a splendid fly while I was in the air. “Bailing out” of swings was another good way to fly. Trampolines! Oh, how I coveted Trampolines. You could fly and fly for hours. When I was in college I got to play with the big trampoline with a belt on that held me while I flipped and twisted, going upside down in magnificent ways. I have always wanted to jump out of an airplane. I wish I had done it before the wicked wizard got me and turned my spine into glass.

I flew a lot when I was little. I flew the badminton flyers, jumped off the play house, jumped out of trees … I never got hurt until one day I was playing tightrope walker on the border of the flower bed. It was four inches high. Truly, four inches. I fell off and got a compound fracture where the bone tried to stick out. The doctor said I was going to see a white rabbit and gave me medicine to breathe and I did see a white rabbit! But the medicine made me sick and I threw up all down the front of my Daddy’s shirt. Gross. My are was in a cast all summer which was lame. When we went to Lagoon - the amusement park - I couldn’t go on any of the rides. My Daddy got very sad watching me be sad so he went on all the rides and held me on his lap. We went on this long slide where you sat on a magic carpet and Daddy held on to me and we flew down. We did that one over and over and we had to climb a lot of steps to get back to the top. Daddy was very big and he didn’t fit on a lot of the rides very well, but he rolled himself up and went on everything anyway so I wouldn’t be sad. It was my best time at Lagoon.

It’s true, you guys, I TALK TOO MUCH!!

I could not find ANY pictures of Fierce Fey with Bat wings, I guess I will have to build one. Meanwhile, I will introduce you to Ravenna. She is a Raven-Punk kind of Fey, not a Fierce Fey, but I think she would fly on the Badminton Flyers if she got the chance.

Re: What was your favourite game?

LAME! That is what happens when you talk too much. I CAME over here to post my Dryad and Lioness in a tree for Laurie to see =. I talked and talked and blathered and prattled and guess what I didn't do? I made this painting for Jami who is a Lioness. It reminds me of the Wicked Wildcat a little, but it hasn't wings nor tufts on it's ears. This Dryad looks very much like the Dryad me of about fourteen-years-old.

Wow. They are so beensey. You'll have to make them bigger to see them. I wonder how I get them here bigger?

Re: What was your favourite game?

I love your posts, Dryad! I love them so much, the longer the better. Flying is the most awesome thing in the world, do you dream of flying a lot too?

Oh, I miss being able to put the pictures in the body of the post too, big and beautiful, but that's the price we pay for being correct in our use of images. 

Big hugs,

Nicole