Jill's Journal: Go fly a kite
Although I wasn’t too keen on the strong winds that were blowing on Saturday at the park, I couldn’t keep a smile from spreading across my face while I was heading back to the car.
What I saw before me was a family of four flying a kite high above the open green landscape below at McHardy Park. Other than the cool temperatures, the day was just right for flying a kite. Let’s be honest, if there’s wind, that’s about all you need. Well, that, no highline wires or trees, and some good, strong kite string.
As a kid, my brother and I were avid kite flyers. Thanks to the Jolly Green Giant – and our mom.
Mom was the best at saving product labels for free stuff. I mean, how many kids out there had their very own Kool-Aid canteen and lunch box?
We did.
She also saved labels from the cans of Greet Giant vegetables, and when she had a stack of them, she would mail them off in exchange for free kites for us kids. And, if we ever uttered those two words, “I’m bored,” mom was quick to say, “Go fly a kite.”
My brother and I were like “kids at Christmas” when the kites showed up in the mail. The oblong packages were easily identifiable, and despite knowing the contents inside, we were always excited to tear it open. I shouldn’t admit it, but we had an ample supply of kites. so many so, that if one happened to get away, let’s just say there were no tears to be dried.
The kites were the strong and sturdy kind and featured a graphic of a smiling Green Giant. On the ground, the Green Giant’s smiling face seemed massive, but once the kite caught wind and soared higher and higher, the Green Giant was, well, not so giant.
Although vegetables aren’t always a kid’s favorite dish knowing every can of corn or beans or whatever vegetable Green Giant was packaging and mom was serving, it brought us one label closer to another kite kit showing up in the mailbox.
I haven’t flown a kite in years. No, make that decades. I highly doubt Green Giant is mailing out free kites in exchange for labels these days, but if they ever would again, you can bet I’ll be throwing some Green Giant cans in the grocery cart.
