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.