Mabel, Mabel set the table

There is something so sweet about the slap of rope against the pavement in springtime.

A Japanese family moved into the house across the street - actually the father is Japanese and the mother, American and the girls, beautiful. They attend a local Japanese immersion program at one of the public schools. They are learning how to jump rope.

For days I watched the haphazard swinging and ill-timed jumping. But now we're down to a science. Father and youngest daughter "turn" the rope while the oldest daughter jumps. And jumps. And jumps. And my 69-yr-old mind pages backward to the muddy spring schoolyeard at school where, when the bell rang, we exploded outside and took our places with the thick stinging rope, Double Dutch or singles. And the sing-songed the ditties that accompanied them:

"Mabel, Mabel, set the table
Don't forget the salt and pepper "(furious fast jumping)

"Cinderella dressed in yellow
Went downtown to meet her fella
She sang, she sang, she sang so sweet
And along came _____ and kissed her on the cheek,
How many kisses did she get?",,,,,,

And so on.

Now, my entire body rather shrinks from the imagined assault - wouldn't something shake loose??