BLUE SPOTS: We loved this childhood memory from Frances Wolfe Haight of Kane.

It made us remember what it was like to be a kid and doing things with our own siblings without really thinking about the consequences…

“Blue Spots”

“After a difficult time of surgery and infection when I was eleven years old, it took several months to completely heal. My grandpa decided to spoil me a bit and over the next months, he bought a brand new sled, skis, ice skates and even a chemistry set. I enjoyed all these things because I had hand-me-downs before that.

“The chemistry set was special and my cousin Mickey and my brother Ronnie spent some time with it every now and then. We took a hair and put it under the microscope. Very interesting. We looked at a fly’s wing, a toenail, etc. One day, my grandparents were not home. My brother and I were doing things with the microscope but got bored. Then Ronnie said, ‘Let’s have some fun.’ Of course I agreed.

“He took two test tubes, and two corks and we went into the kitchen. He put a little vinegar in each one and then a bit of baking soda. He put the corks in the top and said, ‘Now do what I do,’ and we went out on the back porch. We shook them and the corks POPPED and flew out onto the road, which was dirt, and we had to hunt to find the corks.

“After a couple of these experiments, he said, ‘I know what to do,’ and he poured some dark blue ink into the tubes first. Then he put in the vinegar and soda. He put the corks in and turned around. Before we could even think about it, the corks POPPED and the liquid flew straight up! Grandma had papered the ceiling a couple weeks before with white paper. Well, now there were blue spots all over the ceiling!!

“Just about then, Grandma came home. She looked at us, standing there looking up. Then she looked up. From the look on her face, we knew we were in trouble. But we never forgot about the blue spots! They were there to remind us.”

Frances sent us a poem, too, but we’ll have to share it another day this week.