The Rope… Witness to History

**If This ROPE Could Talk … What a Story it could Tell… a Family History**

Dear Reader:

I was “expecting” Tommy ( early 80’s) when we moved to the duplex on Rainbow Road. Mother was moving in with us and a lot of changes were going on in our lives… including new neighborhood schools for Mandy and Walsh and new friends.

But silently… unbeknownst to us …a long swing rope was already hanging from an old oak tree in the back yard ( now garden) – probably put there before the empty lot was bought and it was still wooded area.

Immediately Mandy and Walsh were drawn to it and as the years passed… it became a place to go to while swinging and mulling over life’s ups and downs.

**The rope swing could go so high one could look out over several neighbor’s yards at its peak.**

It would also play a role in the first of Walsh’s many broken arms. Around eight years of age he and some friends were playing and he decided to leave the swinging rope and jump as it swept by a nearby branch in mid-air. He landed on the branch but unfortunately it broke.

Now it is Rutledge, Lachlan and Jake who I have to worry about … (breaking their ” limbs”) … but not by swinging too high and jumping …but shimmying to the top of the rope. Eek!

**Rutledge… ” ” Big Bro” starts the tricks and trends for the rest of the ” swingers.”**

**Jake was little when he first started swinging-his favorite thing to do at Boo’s!**

**Eva Cate has always liked looking at the world upside down!**

Eloise is the only grandchild who would rather play with the garden fairies… taking them to the fountain to wash and clean and playing on the deck.

Every time I have voiced concern over the years ( now decades) on the safety of the rope… I have been reassured that ( left alone) that rope ( a gift from an unknown ” benefactor ” before we moved there) will still be ” hanging around” long after everyone else is gone.

The reality of that prophecy is quickly coming true.

So until tomorrow… I probably should add a plaque to the rope swing area for the grandchildren to read and think about while swinging or climbing..,

Today is my favorite day… Winnie the Pooh

May is anniversary wedding month for all my children….

**Tommy and Kaitlyn this weekend-gone to Highlands for anniversary**

John and Mandy’s gift… keeping George for them

**Walsh and Mollie got married on Mother’s Day at Magnolia Plantation**

May is my favorite month now because I got another wonderful son and two more beautiful ( inside and out) daughters from this memorable month!!!!

About Becky Dingle

I was born a Tarheel but ended up a Sandlapper. My grandparents were cotton farmers in Laurens, South Carolina and it was in my grandmother’s house that my love of storytelling began beside an old Franklin stove. When I graduated from Laurens High School, I attended Erskine College (Due West of what?) and would later get my Masters Degree in Education/Social Studies from Charleston Southern. I am presently an adjunct professor/clinical supervisor at CSU and have also taught at the College of Charleston. For 28 years I taught Social Studies through storytelling. My philosophy matched Rudyard Kipling’s quote: “If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” Today I still spread this message through workshops and presentations throughout the state. The secret of success in teaching social studies is always in the story. I want to keep learning and being surprised by life…it is the greatest teacher. Like Kermit said, “When you’re green you grow, when you’re ripe you rot.”

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