Random Monday Memories ~ 1980

Meet Kevin the clown & Joey the tiger ~ and oh yes, that's me...28 years ago! The clown was about 3 1/2 years old and the tiger was a few months shy of two. Don't they look sweet!? Well, looks can be deceiving! That's something I discovered a few days after this picture was taken.

These two little sweeties loved to watch TV ~ especially shows like Sesame Street. They (especially the happy little clown) paid close attention and tried to learn new things from the TV shows they watched.

This is a potato...

This is a gallon of paint...

Look at the fun you can have with potatoes and paint!

My little clown thought that painting with a potato looked like something he needed to try. We didn't have any nice poster paints in our house, but Kevin had been watching me paint the basement landing earlier in the week ~ with a nice big bucket of white paint. In addition to watching me paint, Kevin had also (had I only known) been paying close attention to how I opened the gallon of paint with a screwdriver.

Allow me a bit of poetic license ~ I wasn't along on this adventure ~ I only saw the aftermath!

Early Saturday morning the happy little clown decided to have an adventure ~ and the little tiger was quite happy to follow along. Kevin helped Joey out of his crib ~ picture Kevin, arms spread wide, "Jump Joey!" Joey did. He always did! "Wait here Joey" Kevin said as he went down the stairs and got the paint bucket and the screwdriver. The little tiger curled up on the hallway carpeting and waited for the happy clown to return. Not a potato to be found in the house ~ what would the little clown do? He dragged out his box of wooden blocks...the smaller ones of course, because they would fit into the opening of the bucket of paint!

I don't know if you noticed that the little clown isn't wearing any clown paint in the picture up above. He didn't like to get dirty or sticky or messy in any way ~ however, the little tiger loved all those things! Dipping a wooden block into a bucket of paint looked like great fun to him! "Here I come Joey ~ no, don't move. Stay right there (on the carpet), I'll bring the paint and stuff to you! Here you go, just dip it in..." Except Joey didn't dip ~ he plunged ~ to his armpits ~ many times! Kevin gingerly took the block from Joey and carefully printed a lovely design on the beige wall to wall carpet and whatever part of the walls that he could reach. Their giggles interrupted my slumber and the sight that greeted me totally woke me up! What a sight it was...my sweet little Kevin with white finger tips and a big smile on his face, my cute, little, sleeper clad Joey COVERED in white latex wall paint, a lovely piece of abstract art on the walls and paint soaking though the carpet into the padding below.

I don't have a picture of the scene that greeted me...28 years ago it did not occur to me to take a picture. I did not want to remember...... but these are the colors that were involved.

It's amazing how 28 years can change your outlook ~ I'm actually laughing! I'm also very grateful...it could have been worse. Take a look at the next picture...that is not my child! I found it in a batch of public domain pictures. Check out the wood floor, the (looks like leather) couch and behind that paint covered child you can see a TV ~ I cropped the picture (to protect his innocence), the TV was all white too!

Makes my memories pale in comparison!!