Tire Swing

Is there anything as classically simple as a tire swing? When it comes to playground equipment, I submit that there is not! (Especially the vertically-hanging variety, as seen here.) To me, the tire swing serves as a reminder of how anything at all - even things that most people would normally consider garbage - can be the best toy ever in the eyes of a kid. Does it matter that it was found on the side of the road? Not really - as long as you can swing on it.

Remember when the best thing about getting a new refrigerator was getting to play in the box? I sure do. My brother and I turned ours into a space shuttle.

The Tree House

I suppose "tree platform" might be a more accurate description. It was going to be more of a house at some point, but unfortunately it never made it to that stage of development. I realized how convenient it is to have a roof when I left a shoebox full of comic books in the tree house and, returning the next day, discovered that their pages were severely warped with water damage. Nevertheless, I am pretty fond of this little fort. The "house" itself may not be particularly impressive, but throughout the years it has proven to be an outstanding chill spot.

Fortress of Solitude

The best thing about the tree house is that it was a quiet place that I could retreat to without leaving home. Whenever I was feeling overly stressed or angry or confused, it was always refreshing to climb up, get some fresh air, and just sit in the tree for a while to think. I think most people would agree that spending time outdoors, removed from the complications of our fast-paced, high-tech society, can be very beneficial. There are plenty of ways through which one can do that, be it biking, hiking, fishing, or whatever. For me, it was usually enough just to head out back, pet the goats, and spend some quality time among the branches.

Goats!

If you have some open space behind your house, why not fill it with a couple of goats? That seems to be our philosophy. They are much cheaper than horses, and low maintenance to the extreme! You can't ride them, of course, but what they lack in utility they make up for with their quirky charm.

Crazy Kids

Old cartoons would lead you to believe that goats will eat anything, including old tires and tin cans. This is only half true. There are plenty of things that goats can't possibly eat. That doesn't mean, however, that they won't try! Especially when they are young, they will at least taste anything they can get their mouths on, including rope, construction tools, fingers, and your favorite jacket. (They will rarely pass up an opportunity to gnaw on your shoelaces.) They also love to climb on anything and everything. In fact, if you bend down on all fours, they will probably climb onto your back. This may not be true of all breeds, but from what I've seen, goats are as eccentric as they come.

Old Goats

Unfortunately, the playful nature of these animals seems to fade as they grow older. Perhaps it is because their horns and beards grow in and they begin to take themselves too seriously. If they have large horns, they tend to act more aggressive and less accommodating, trying to assert their egocentric dominance by ramming and hooking things with their prongs. They can be fun to wrestle with, but if you have anything damageable in your yard, they can be a little problematic. If you've every heard someone called an "old goat" before, there was probably some vexation tied to that comment.

Overall, goats can be a lot of fun...if you have the extra space and really like animals. If not, it's probably better to get a puppy. But if nothing else, growing up with goats made going into the backyard that much more adventurous.

Looking back...

So... what's the big deal? Is this backyard really so special that it merits its own blog? That is a fair question, especially if you know what this piece of ground looks like:



Yes, I know... it doesn't exactly resemble the green pastures of Hobbiton. In fact, it looks a lot more like the residential section of Mordor.
I assure you, it looks a lot more inviting in the Spring.

Regardless of how it looks, however, it was the environment of exploration and discovery that made it a remarkable place to spend my childhood. It was home to a clubhouse, a trampoline, a treehouse, a pitchers' mound, a little orchard and a garage full of antiques and old treasures. Dogs and cats lounged around with goats and pigs. My brother and I could play any game we wanted to, from baseball to Power Rangers, and we did! One day we decided to build an underground fort in a dirt clearing in the very back, so we got some shovels and started digging. We didn't get much further than a foot into the soil before we realized how much work it would require, but there are still signs of that self-dug crater today. When they dig up the garden in fifty years, I imagine they will find a plethora of shoeboxes containing the dear remains of gerbils and tree frogs. Those were the days.

When I think back to the time I spent outside as a boy, my mind will sometimes reflect on my favorite comic strip, Calvin and Hobbes. Fans of the strip are familiar with the vast wooded landscape where Calvin had adventures (and deep philosophical conversations) with his plush tiger. I'm sure that the forests and streams that inspired the comic's author, Bill Watterson, are much more impressive than the comparatively tiny plot of land where I grew up. But I like to think that our experiences were, at least to some degree, similar. To me, the backyard was a place to explore, to enjoy, to experience. It was, perhaps, the most tangible way to interact with the world and all of its possibilities.