Remembering the days of playing with June Bugs tied on a string makes me know for sure we Smiths were born with gaps.
So, at the ending days of July the figs were ripening full tilt. Mama was making fig preserves full tilt.
We were eating figs full tilt like the season would end before sundown.
The milk from fig leaves caused us to break out in a rash of hurt.
Our tongues got raw from eating.
Blisters on arms and legs and around the mouth caused from milk of unripe figs was reason to hang around the water well to wash off some fig rash hurt.
Our old fig tree was the most wonderful place to play by climbing around in the limbs while enjoying the shade of the thick foliage. The canopy overhead allowed us to climb in the limbs that had lots of room for several of us to sit and climb on. Only down side was rubbing against the leaves that were covered in a velvet like fuzz that caused itching. The other nuisance was getting chicken droppings smeared on ourselves.
The fig tree was used by some of our free range chickens as a roost at night.
June Bugs loved hanging out in our fig tree.
The chickens pecked our figs and June Bugs for food.
Chickens surely must have been put on earth to fill KFC buckets and leave droppings where we played.
I never ate KFC until circa 1964 because everybody told me it was, "Finger lickin’ good".
It was good, but until Colonel Sanders perfected his pressure fried chicken with all those secret spices my Smith family ate fried chicken right off the yard, fresh and by the dish pans full.
My family had not a clue about fried chicken off a menu somewhere out there.
Back to June Bugs,
I never understood why June Bugs didn't show until late July.
June Bugs loved the front porch light.
We sat front porch put on hot July nights until bedtime. The June Bugs circled and fell onto the porch.
" Turn that light off, the June Bugs are here".
" Yep, they gonna smell up the place".
June Bugs got leg tied in string to circle until bedtime.
Bedtime got called, we just dropped the sting to walk away.
June Bugs either crawled to their demise or lay on their backs to claw the strings into knots until morning.
Big warning: June Bugs give off a pungent odor.
About the same time every July when June Bugs came to our farm was about the same time Tumble Bugs showed up.
June Bugs are iridescent green in color.
Tumble Bugs are blackish.
The uninformed would try for string tying Tumble Bugs.
Big difference!
June Bugs will fly around in a circle for endless, mindless, scorching hours of July afternoons. Tumble bugs will claw and lay on it's back until the string is so entangled in those clawing legs pushing backwards until we gave up and decided to look for better things to entertain us.
Tumble Bugs love cow doodie. Even better for tumble bugs is rolling a ball of half dried cow manure backwards.
I never watched to see exactly where Tumble Bugs rolled their burden to, but, Grandma Minnie told us they make a dung pile to lay their eggs for hatching little Tumble Bugs and for eating.
This gives an idea of what we did during the hot days of June and July. June Bugs tied on a string and watching Tumble Bugs tumble.
