02 March 2020

Bess Tuggle's Memoirs of Surviving Children: Mud is Good for the Soul


I “called in” sick last week on my memoirs. Simply couldn’t help it. It read:

“My ‘sick’ note: I’m currently mentally deranged. I’d like to blame it on being forced to shop at Wal-Mart, but it’s really due the rain. With heavy rain we can’t flush toilets. Or take showers. Or wash dishes. Or wash clothes… Spent the couple of dry days playing catch up and -will- be back next week. Finally got a shower yesterday, so I do smell better for the time being. Can’t say the same for our dogs.”

Turns out I just missed playing with one of the best toys on earth. MUD!

When my boys were little mud was better than play-doe. Even better than -slime- mixed with play-doe!

Mud pies were a given. They were -pretty- too! Decorated with leaves, berries, moss and whatever else could be found in the woods. Then we took turns being “mudded.” That means covered in mud from head to toe. We lived in the boonies, so lil’ boys running around in their underwear covered in mud was not a problem.

Mud-boggin’ with their Match-Box cars was also a given. We had -elaborate- boggin’ holes throughout the yard.

Next best were the mud-ball wars, and it was always a free-for-all. Snowballs don’t hold a candle to mud balls. Mud balls stick together better and make a more satisfying “splat” when you hit your target. They leave a bigger mark, too, so there was more to aim at. The loser was the one covered the most in mud and got first place in line to be hosed off.

My personal favorite, much to my boys’ dismay, was “puddle stomping.” And I -will- brag! Puddle stomping isn’t just about how far or high you can get the water to spray. Aim is -everything-! Mama had some really good aim.

It’s time to turn a new generation onto the fun/importance of mud. We’ve been seeing quite a bit of our 4-year-old grandson lately. Our puppy has dug fox holes all over the yard, so we’ll have some good puddles too.

Might not be able to take a bath/shower, but the hose pipe still works just fine.

Here comes the rain, do do do do DO! Here comes the rain! It’s alright…