After my mom and dad got divorced, my mom worked full time, and in the summers, 10 y.o. me, and 8 y.o. sister were basically on our own. Our friends mom and upstairs neighbor "watched" us, but she was a nurse on the night shift, so basically she was there in case of emergency.

We ran around the apartment complex in a gang of kids on bikes, swam (like fish), climbed treese, fixed our own meals, and were responsible for our chores.

I hung out a lot with Mrs. Mooney, an elderly lady across the parking lot. We played endless games of gin rummy, and she always had fixings for amazing ice cream sundaes, introduced me to Bugles and port wine cheese, and let me play with her cat, Sissy.

I wonder if they still allow the books I read as a kid, of bunches of kids roaming around their towns on their bikes, hanging out in empty lots, eating the bagged lunches they grabbed on the way out of the house that morning.

Connie, I'm pretty sure the old couple next door couldn't see into our backyard as there was a 10 foot tall fence between the houses. And there was the house itself blocking the view on the other side.

When I wished someone a Happy Pi Day they pointed out that it's 3.14.16 - which is Pi to four decimal places. yay math!

Here's my family's crazy: When we were young enough that a visit to the beach meant bringing back half of it in our swimsuits, my mom wouldn't even let us enter the house until we'd gone into the backyard, stripped off our swimsuits, and gotten hosed off. Suits went straight into the washing machine and kids went one by one straight into the shower to wash off.

The house that we usually rented at the beach had an outdoor shower. Well, it was inside a little enclosure, but outside the house. We'd shower in there before going inside.

A co-worker's neighbor once told her they knew what was going on when her husband's car was in the driveway at lunch and the kids were out on the deck with popsicles. She didn't say if the deck door was locked, though.

Phone-game folks, I got Neeko Atsume for my phone last night and put out food and balls and whatnot, but no cats have shown up yet. Am I too eager? I WANT KITTIES.

I'm afraid to download that game because I know it will eat my life if I do.

When we were young enough that a visit to the beach meant bringing back half of it in our swimsuits, my mom wouldn't even let us enter the house until we'd gone into the backyard, stripped off our swimsuits, and gotten hosed off.

When the boys were little we took advantage of the showers at the beach. Stripped them of the bathing suits and showered them off, wrapped them in a towel and tossed in the car. Sea lice ain't no joke. Plenty of other parents did the same thing.

Once they get to a certain age you pretty much have to tell them to go away regularly for sanity.

Phone-game folks, I got Neeko Atsume for my phone last night and put out food and balls and whatnot, but no cats have shown up yet. Am I too eager? I WANT KITTIES.

I have no idea what any of that means

But speaking of kitties, has anyone else seen the Key and Peele trailer? DH and I can't tell if it's real or just a skit, but it really needs to be seen just for Keanu Link