And the *dust* was DDT, right?
The only thing I would add to your wonderful list is *Jarts* ...and surviving mumblypeg
Playing in the back yard next to a farm field watching crop dusters work the fields...
Climbing up pine trees
Going to the river in the back of a pickup truck all sweaty and hot after our chores, diving off the overpass into the water, coming back to our place in the back of the truck, cold and wet.
Ice skating on local ponds on the rare occasions the ice got thick enough in St. Louis to skate on. Having flaming marshmallow fights around the bonfire.
Polock cannons made from pop cans.
Pine cone fights, cowpie fights and toadstool fights. Toadstyools were cool, when they hit they made a big ugly cloud of yellow-green spores that looked like we imagined mustard gas would look like.
Sliding downhill on sharp and rusty sheet metal in the summer.
Sliding downhill on sleds and inner tubes in winter, dodging trees. Getting towed on a homemade sled by a pickup truck.
Blocking the school bus route with 7 foot diameter snowballs encased in ice.
Riding my cousins’ Shetland ponies from hell... one of them was a notorious kneecapper.
Squirrel hunting all day so our folks could have alone time.
For some reason Mom and Dad always had way more tick and chigger problems than we did.
Playing with snakes.
Chasing steers with buckets of medicated water, trying to hit them in the eyes with it to prevent pinkeye ... we had purplefaced herefords.
Catching snapping turtles.
Crawdad fights.
Chemistry sets.
Having full access to every power tool in Dad’s garage as soon as Ii was big enough to drive a nail.
And the *dust* was DDT, right?
The only thing I would add to your wonderful list is *Jarts* ...and surviving mumblypeg
I grew up in the suburbs of Seattle but also had fun and dangerous times. :-)