When I saw this old croquet set decorating my pal Deb Kelt's yard a few weeks ago, I was once again reminded of all the summer fun my sister and I used to have at my Grandma Churchill's deep down in the Missouri Ozarks. And yes, we did play croquet.However, the British imagery that you might associate with croquet may not describe the sort of matches we played on my grandma's farm just a few yards away from a droopy clothes line and a silvery propane tank on one side and a gooseberry bush and a meadow of mooing cows on the other. We loved taking a mallet and whacking the ball all over the yard, even though I never remember following any official rules.
Another British lawn game we loved was badminton. It never failed that our nets were tangled and torn or our birdies looked like they had been chewed by a dog or quite often lost their rubber nub when struck by a racket.
As for the birdies' official name, we would never have used the British term -- shuttlecock -- to describe these badminton essentials. Can you imagine? A kid deep in the Ozarks talking about serving a shuttlecock.
Grandma Churchill would have probably thought I was talking about lunch time or threatened to wash my mouth out with soap!
Noticing the changing colors of the treetops from my window.... The Elegant Thrifter
Always Frugal, Always Fabulous!
For more vintage memories, pick up The Find: The Housing Works Book of Decorating with Thrift Shop Treasures, Flea Market Objects, and Vintage Details at Borders, Barnes & Noble, Amazon or
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