As we were sitting on the front porch

Photo by Roger

As we were sitting on the front porch this morn, I was wondering how many more days we would have of pleasant weather. I was thinking about all the joyous moments of sitting out there holding Lorelei this past summer...wondering what would she would have been doing if she were here today. And I was also wondering a bit about what the future holds.

Across the street, Kay came outside and started jumping rope. The first thought that popped into my head was:
Up the ladder
A B C
Down the ladder
H O T!

That was one of the little rhymes we chanted when we were young and jumping rope...and on the Down part, we jumped as fast as we could. And this thought lead to the thought of other rhymes. I could only remember fragments...I could remember the phrase 'turn around,' and one about going upstairs...and there is one about who you are going to marry: doctor, lawyer, Indian chief.

I did a quick glance on the computer and came up with:
Teddy bear, teddy bear
Turn around,
Teddy bear, teddy bear
Touch the ground.

Teddy bear,teddy bear
Turn around,
Teddy bear, teddy bear
Tie(?) your shoe

Teddy bear, teddy bear
Turn around
Teddy bear, teddy bear
Out goes you.

As we jumped rope to Teddy Bear, we did the actions...I am not sure about some of the words here, and I also think we had more actions we did but I cannot remember them.

All I can remember of another is:
Cinderella, dressed in yellow,
Went upstairs to see her fellow...
and this was followed by something about how many kisses she got...

The one about who we are going to marry completely escapes me, but I do think it was a rhyme for jump rope...and I think we had other rhymes but I am having a real mental block when it comes to remembering them.

I was hoping Kay would come over: I wanted to see if they used these same little rhymes...I am sure I taught them to my kids but not sure if anyone else knew them. Were they common place every where or just a regional thing? Is this one of those things that remains the same in spite of the passage of time, or one that passes away into only the dim memories of the older generation. (How odd to think of myself as among the older generation--sometimes I have a real problem believing I am.)

Another story untold....

We passed this old home a few days back on one of our drives....someone lives in it. It is another house full of untold stories. I would love to see inside. Have you ever noticed how some two story homes seem so dark and dreary inside and others seem light and airy. I wonder why that is. One would think it was the direction the houses face, but I am setting here thinking to two houses that face the same direction...one is like walking into sunshine when you walk in and the other feels like waking up to a cloudy day when entered.