DIRT

©2011 Barbara Dickenson

Big city dirt is different than country dirt. In Momence Illinois, in the late 1930's and early '40's we lived about l½ blocks from a train track. In those days the big black engine was fueled with dirty black coal that spewed from its funnel-like smoke stack. Tiny particles floated in the air and in our homes. When I played outside I would soon have a grayish sheen to my skin.

In those days our neighborhood was true ethnic cultures. We lived close to each other and they were the sort of people that hung over the fence or sat on their stoops to hold conversations. For a yard to play in, well they were all dirt. No one could afford to grow grass, but a few would grow flowers in pots. As children, we would sit on the steps and play with our dolls. This was a cleaner dirt, by that I mean it did not cling to our bodies and clothes. However, it showed up in the bath water.

Camping dirt back East and camping dirt, here in the mountains are pretty much the same. The sort of dirt one gets while climbing trees or scamping around fallen tree trunks, or sitting around the fire ring. Now that was dirt. Back East, we picked up a bar of soap and jumped in the river to bathe. Here in the West, we heat beach. up a bucket of water on the fire ring and get a 'marine bath'!

The dirt in the desert or wash is actually sand and it clings to your skin, even if you brush it off, you feel dirty. The sand blows in and leaves a layer everywhere. It is not as bad now that we have grass and trees.

The question is should children get dirty? I hope so, whether we live in a city or the desert or mountains and even the beach, every year of growth for a child is a learning experience. From digging holes to planting gardens or making mud pies,. these are treasures to be found on the earth.

When my daughter was two years old, I looked out the back door, where she stood outside with a toothy grin. She looked like a chipmunk with small stones in her cheeks and some in her pockets. This was her comfort zone and eventually gew out of it. However, if Peggy is stressed I will still say, “Suck a rock Peg!”