The Original Big Gulp

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When I was a little girl we didn't have big TV's, game systems, DVD players or even VCR's. Back in the day most children actually played outdoors. Can you imagine? I liked playing football, baseball and home-run derby with the boys. We would play outside all day long, coming in the house only at the end of a quarter or halftime for drinks. The problem was that my mom was pretty strict about kids running in and out of the house. Quite frequently I would get yelled at for running in to get a drink of water. I can remember mom yelling "if you come in this house one more time, you're staying in". Oh no! Not that! Anything but staying in the house. 

We lived in a two story, 3 bedroom house, with a basement that was partially above ground. The upper level of the house over hung the basement by a couple feet creating some well needed shade on a hot day. The backside of the basement, under that overhang, had windows right at ground level. 

On one particular day I had been yelled at several times and couldn't go in the house anymore. It was a hot summer afternoon and I was really thirsty, but not willing to risk staying indoors. Instead of jeopardizing the football game, I walked around the back of the house to get a drink from the water spigot, when all of a sudden I saw it. "My lucky stars, a bowl!" I thought that would be much easier to get a drink than cupping my hands, so I filled the little bowl with water and sat down in the shade to cool off. I was mid gulp of the second bowl full when I heard a loud banging on the basement window, causing me to spill the water down my chin and neck. I looked up from my water bowl to see my mother screaming something inaudible through the glass. What was she saying I wondered, as I tipped the bowl once again. Bang, bang, bang, on the window, she continued. Undeterred, I tipped the bowl for another big gulp, but just then the window popped open. "Get in this house right now!" I finished my water and headed for the door. I was really confused. She told me I couldn't come in the house anymore but now she was yelling for me to get in the house. What is wrong with grown-ups, I pondered. When I got in the house I got my britches paddled for drinking from ?????

You guessed it! The dog bowl!