Grandmother Let Me Get Away with It!!

In the old apartment building in Chicago that Grandmother and Granddaddy lived in, the front windows were bay windows, with a wide ledge, and no screens. Long before air conditioning, I remember sitting in those windows, with a straw and a bag of white beans, playing with it as a pea shooter. I would aim at the passing cars, as well as the street posts and other convenient targets. It was a lot of fun, and I passed quite a bit of time doing that. I will say that I don't remember that I shot at the people who were always walking by.

I look back on that memory now, and I wonder why my Grandparents let me do such a thing! Were they just too old to be taking care of me? Or did they see it as a harmless game that kept me busy and out of their hair? I'll never know, but as often as I did it, it's a wonder someone didn't ring the apartment buzzer, complaining about me. If a child were caught doing that today, particularly aiming at cars, they'd probably end up in court, or even Juvie!!