Remember to play

It's too bad we have to grow up and forget how to play and how to be amused by simple activities.  Hey, that sounds like a good theme for today's post!

"Children Playing on the Beach" (1884) by Mary Cassatt.  Remember when a bucket and some sand could keep you occupied for hours?  If you are tired of mowing your lawn, simply cover it all with sand and go buy yourself a bucket and a shovel.  And stop worrying about what the neighbors think.

From Finland, an old picture from the 50's.  I had to laugh at what the sender wrote.  She told me she is not fond of skiing but did ski 70 km. the previous week when she was on holiday in Lapland. Doesn't that sound like an awfully long way to ski if you don't like skiing?  Imagine the ground she could have covered if she enjoyed skiing.

A somewhat older child all dressed up and blowing into a goatskin.  It's probably best to not get your children bagpipes for Christmas, unless you plan to move away and leave the children behind.

After a hard day of play, it's always nice to be tucked into bed by Mommy & Daddy. This 1943 Norman Rockwell painting is called "Freedom From Fear" and was inspired by President Roosevelt's Four Freedoms Proclamation. Dad is holding a wartime newspaper with a headline about bombings. I think he has just stepped on and killed his daughter's favorite doll.

Animals never seem to forget how to be playful. It is unfortunate if you are sitting on a horse when he decides it's playtime and very humiliating when he laughs at you afterward.  Best to stick with ferrets, since they are too small to ride and are endlessly amusing.

You're never too old for cartoons.  This card from Finland shows a couple of the very popular "Moomin"  characters created by Tove Jansson. Moomins are white trolls (the good kind). The Moomin books have been translated into 44 languages, so I was surprised that the first I'd ever heard of them was when I received this card. For a very amusing guide to the various Moomin characters and their world, read this Tor.com article.  Otherwise, you won't know the difference between a Snorfmaiden and a Mymble.  Now that would be embarrassing.

From The Netherlands comes this card reminding us that we're never to old to sit in a swing and dream.  This is an untitled painting by Michel Rauscher.

Your assignment for the day is to GO HAVE SOME FUN!!