Oh I remember this one. I empathised with Charlotte so much because she reminded me of Brownie camp when I was eight. First time away from home (apart from staying with grandparents), and I was desperately homesick. I remember sneaking off to the loos for a weep at one point. Most of the time I had a brilliant time, but occasionally homesickness caught up, and that was only five days!
The concept of summer camps lasting weeks on end was completely alien to me when I was growing up, and I was fascinated by the concept. You have inspired me to go and dig out my copy of There's a Bat in Bunk Five, my own favourite camp book. I think it is time for a reread.
Here is what I remember about this book: in her letter to Janine, Claudia writes "who are you?" Instead of "How are you?" Gah!
Also, my mom is severely diabetic (secondary to having 3/4 if her tumor-filled pancreas removed) and she only checks her blood, not her urine. No idea what Stacey is going on about.
Claudia's greetings were as bad as her drawings. To Mimi: "Hi, Who are you?" (Because Mimi didn't have enough issues at that time...) To her parents: "Hi how are you ? Me just fin." (...Not in English you aren't.) To Janine: "Who are you." (Who-who, who-who. Also, question mark?) "Ashly" gets an "Oh my lord" and a long run-on sentence.
As for Stacey, I almost wonder if Ann meant blood and instead wrote urine (and *cough Roo cough* the editors let it slide). Anything I've ever heard about diabetes involves checking blood sugar, not urine sugar.
Although to be fair, you could probably tell a lot about a diabetic's sugar levels from testing their pee. Apparently an unmedicated diabetic's urine smells sweet!
That's what I suspected when I read that! I think someone didn't do a very good editing job.... >.<
Actually, I just pulled out my copy of this book. Maybe they changed it for a re-release or something, because I can't find that line anywhere! Which chapter is it from? I really want to check now! :D
her old perm grew out funny and left her hair kind of orange-ish. Okay, any true blondes here? I've had perms but I have dark blonde hair, and let me tell you, when they grew out, my hair did not change colors. That's...weird. So I don't know if that's a blonde thing or if that's an Ann-pulled-it-out-of-her-butt thing. Plus, how exactly would a body wave change her color back?
Either Stace is washing her hair in hard water, or the perm chemicals were funkier than normal. IDK.
YOUR SON IS NAMED JOHN PHILIP RAMSEY, JUNIOR. HE IS YOUR NAMESAKE. HOW ON EARTH DO YOU GET "ALEX" FROM JOHN PHILIP?
THIS.
CAMP MEMORIES!!! I remember going to 4H camp. We didn't have to wear uniforms, but we did have themes. One year was all retro 50s-style. One year was Hawaiian luau. Fun times. And to this day, the smell of Dep hair gel and Pert Plus shampoo/conditioner manages to conjure up all sorts of summer camp memories. Plus, one year I got a massive ear infection right before going and went anyway, and had to go to the infirmary after every
( ... )
Oh, you just reminded me of the Wall of Axe we had at camp one year...
Pre-teen boys + lack of showering + lots and lots of Axe to make up for lack of showering = a haze around the boys' dorm. Halfway through the week the male counselors had to have a talk with the campers. It was pretty bad.
I always felt bad for the kids who were on meds at camp, though I'd tend to run into them a lot and that's how I got to know some of them, so at least there was something good to come out of it.
"how had Mallory gotten to the age of 11 without hearing "Oh, it ain't gonna rain no more, no more, it ain't gonna rain no more. How in the heck can I wash my neck if it ain't gonna rain no more?" "
Well, if I was able to, then it's not too far a grasp to think that other people might have.
This is the first time I've heard of that song, and I'm 31! And I was in Girl Scouts for about 8 years, too, so I thought I'd heard every camping song ever. Maybe it's regional? (I grew up in Texas, and the BSC books take place up north, so... Haphazard guessing!)
Your poor, deprived childhoods. I grew up with this song! I'm honestly stunned this isn't standard kid music material. Did you ever have anything like the Wee Sing books? I can't recall that this was exactly what I had, but it would have been pretty similar.
Can't say that rings any bells. The only music books I remember ever seeing as a child were the ones in music class and the hymnals in church. Every song I learned at camp was passed along orally. In fact, now that I think of it, I'm not sure I even got half the lyrics right (I'm terrible at hearing words in songs, especially in English [despite it being the only language I am fluent in])!
But don't feel too sad for me. To this day I still sing about loiking to oit ooples and banoonoos and about sippin' cy-di-yi-di-ay-der through a straw (tiddle-dee ha ha).
so you know how the BSC's treatment of diabeetus made everyone think that they had the disease if they were thirstier than normal? THIS is the book that I took on a camping vacation one summer-guess who checked himself obsessively for ticks for two weeks? Yeah, not so fun.
Comments 49
The concept of summer camps lasting weeks on end was completely alien to me when I was growing up, and I was fascinated by the concept. You have inspired me to go and dig out my copy of There's a Bat in Bunk Five, my own favourite camp book. I think it is time for a reread.
Reply
Also, my mom is severely diabetic (secondary to having 3/4 if her tumor-filled pancreas removed) and she only checks her blood, not her urine. No idea what Stacey is going on about.
Reply
To Mimi: "Hi, Who are you?" (Because Mimi didn't have enough issues at that time...)
To her parents: "Hi how are you ? Me just fin." (...Not in English you aren't.)
To Janine: "Who are you." (Who-who, who-who. Also, question mark?)
"Ashly" gets an "Oh my lord" and a long run-on sentence.
As for Stacey, I almost wonder if Ann meant blood and instead wrote urine (and *cough Roo cough* the editors let it slide). Anything I've ever heard about diabetes involves checking blood sugar, not urine sugar.
Reply
Reply
Actually, I just pulled out my copy of this book. Maybe they changed it for a re-release or something, because I can't find that line anywhere! Which chapter is it from? I really want to check now! :D
Reply
Either Stace is washing her hair in hard water, or the perm chemicals were funkier than normal. IDK.
YOUR SON IS NAMED JOHN PHILIP RAMSEY, JUNIOR. HE IS YOUR NAMESAKE. HOW ON EARTH DO YOU GET "ALEX" FROM JOHN PHILIP?
THIS.
CAMP MEMORIES!!! I remember going to 4H camp. We didn't have to wear uniforms, but we did have themes. One year was all retro 50s-style. One year was Hawaiian luau. Fun times. And to this day, the smell of Dep hair gel and Pert Plus shampoo/conditioner manages to conjure up all sorts of summer camp memories. Plus, one year I got a massive ear infection right before going and went anyway, and had to go to the infirmary after every ( ... )
Reply
Pre-teen boys + lack of showering + lots and lots of Axe to make up for lack of showering = a haze around the boys' dorm. Halfway through the week the male counselors had to have a talk with the campers. It was pretty bad.
I always felt bad for the kids who were on meds at camp, though I'd tend to run into them a lot and that's how I got to know some of them, so at least there was something good to come out of it.
Reply
Well, if I was able to, then it's not too far a grasp to think that other people might have.
Reply
Reply
Your poor, deprived childhoods. I grew up with this song! I'm honestly stunned this isn't standard kid music material. Did you ever have anything like the Wee Sing books? I can't recall that this was exactly what I had, but it would have been pretty similar.
Reply
But don't feel too sad for me. To this day I still sing about loiking to oit ooples and banoonoos and about sippin' cy-di-yi-di-ay-der through a straw (tiddle-dee ha ha).
Reply
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