Sticky Balls

Nope, I'm not talking about the dilemma guys get in the heat of the summer. I am talking about these:

They are what my family and I now as sticky balls.

James and I went on our daily walk today, when all of the sudden I caught something very familiar out of the corner of my eye. There were two just lying on the gravel in between the pavement of the road and the grass from a neighbors yard. Immediately, memories started racing through my mind.

In the front yard of the house I pretty much grew up in, there was a huge kind of ugly tree. It produced these green, very sticky pod things. The tree was conveniently located right next to the little walk way that went from our front door to the driveway. They were also known as death balls. There was countless times I would almost trip and fall from them. My mom actually did sprain her ankle on one once. My dad had/has this throwing fetish. He throws EVERYTHING, and has as long as I have known him, this is in a playful way, not a mean way :) So I have been hit by the sticky balls pretty often too. (I am thinking that is where James learned his new little naughty habit of throwing things.) They were so sticky. I remember once going to school and sitting at my desk and looking down at my feet and I had a sticky ball stuck to the side of my foot.

Isn't it amazing how such a weird random thing can throw so many thoughts and memories in your head?

Here are some pics of James from that same walk...