Kids are Kids

Tales from the Backyard…  Kids are kids where-ever you live and park brats are no different.  There was a 3 and 4 year difference between ages from my son, the twins and the older boys they wanted to play with.  The older boys really didn't want the younger kids around so one spring they said to the boys, if they go over and eat those plants, we’ll let you play with us.  The young ones would do anything, so they did.  Unfortunately the plants were False Hellebore, which when young are deadly, they were young spring plants.  One of the park rangers (Dave Panabaker) just happened to be driving by and stopped to talk and see what was going on.  Realizing what had just happened; he rushed the three tots away towards the twins’ home and gave each of the boys some Essence of Ipecac to get them to throw up.  Leaving the twin boys to their mother he rushed to our house with our son and the news.  We called the hospital, about 60 miles away.  Their response was, get them to throw up or if they don’t, rush them down here, “BUT ITS PROBABLY TOO LATE.”  What a thing to say to an already stressed out mother.  Donna called, the boys just threw up, we rushed Tom to the bathroom and he did also.  Enough weeds to kill a horse.  None had any ill effects from it and from then on left the plant eating to the deer.