My moms’ trick:
Picks a dandelion gone to seed – one with a long stem.
“Hold it in your teeth, like this.”
(Demonstrates, hands it to you.)
You hold it in your teeth.
“Make a wish!” they say as they YANK IT from the non-flowering end, leaving the ENTIRE PUFF in your mouth.
They laugh and laugh.
You sputter.
You are so mad.
You start looking around for someone to try it on…
Later: “You only fall for it once.”
True.
Now you will appreciate the “NICOLE MARIE!” that reverberated throughout the entire house when they discovered that I had stitched their paperback books shut. The pride in their tone was unmistakable.
I sure miss them.