Swing Sets and Stuff

Growing up on the south side of Chicago, we didn't have much of a backyard, but we used what we had. At various times, we had a pool, lawn furniture, and my all time favorite, the swing set.  The swing set was standard issue swing set material; a monkey bar ladder type thing with 2 swings, a set of rings and a trapeze. It took up most of the yard and left a big dirt spot where us kids had trampled all the grass.  Now the swing set was standard issue, but our imaginations were much bigger than that. With a little help, It became a circus tent, a pirate ship or a rocket. We were quite fond of tying sheets or ropes to the swing set in order to make boat sails or make a ladder to escape from jail. We all got fake names when we played on the swing set. I was Laura Lynn the Fin Toadstool, Uncle John was Jonathan Livingston Postage Stamp (after the book Jonathan Livingston Seagull, very popular at the time), Aunt Carrie was Caroline Mundeline Clothesline, Uncle Jim was Slim Jim Bowling Pin, and my best friend next door neighbor, Kathy Wallow, was Kathryn Von WallowWhopper.To this day, Kathy and I still use these names. Much like other Tolley adventures, the end of the swing set came about in a dramatic manner. We had discovered that if you hung a painter's drop cloth between the monkey bars, you could swing people. Far. Like into the next yard. Of course the day came when  a neighbor was hurled across the yard, landing face first on the sidewalk. A couple of stitches later and we were closed for business. Something about homeowners insurance.  We moved on to other dangerous games, but thinking about the swingset always makes me smile.