Touch-Me-Not Memories

Sometimes I'll go back deep into my memory banks just to see what I can remember. It's a blast and sometimes I can't believe what I can recall. The earliest memory I can access is a clear image of myself standing in front of a record player at my great-grandmother's house; watching the record go around and around and jiving on the tunes. That I'd become a musician is no wonder.
 Other than that one of my earliest memories is of Touch-Me-Nots. If you've never seen any up-close, or especially if you have kids, you owe it to yourself to check out these unique plants. They put out seed pods that literally explode when touched; hence the name. They're hair-triggered, and plucking them from the plants requires a very delicate touch. It was a bit like baiting a mousetrap without setting it off on your finger. I think that helped my dexterity early-on.
 Actually, "implode" might be a better term. The pods were made of sections that would curl violently inward. Seeds would be scattered hither and yon, and it was a very effective method of spreading seed. They were also incredibly fun to play with. In fact I couldn't believe something so cool (and explosive) existed in Nature, and for free. My grandmother knew how much I loved them and she grew them for years, although I doubt she ever had to plant any seeds again after the first time. I miss my grandmother.
 I'd love to find out how much force (joules?) they put out. For their size it must be massive. If they were as big as a football they might actually be weapons. There's so much force involved that they actually make a sound. You can literally blow on them and they'll explode. Ha, that's what she said.
 Like most boys my age, and well before this "gender-fluid" bullshit kicked in, I played army. We were always looking for cool ways to blow the enemy soldiers into oblivion, but that usually cost money, as in having to buy fireworks or gasoline. An M-80 would truly fuck-up some army guys. For free though, you couldn't beat Touch-Me-Nots. A well-placed Touch-Me-Not "grenade" could take out a half-dozen guys, no problem. The thing with Touch-Me-Nots is that it only knocked them down and they were able to return to battle in short order. With M-80s...not so much. We had a little "Arlington" for them. War is hell.
 What made me think about that was a random vid that popped up in my feed. It was about caterpillars who feed on them. The caterpillars suffered the same fate as the army guys, with no damage. They lived to eat another day. The video is three minutes and well-worth watching. It's on the BBC channel so you know it's pro-shot. High-speed cameras show the pods exploding in super-slo-mo, and the occasional caterpillar being launched into the air. It's awesome. Kids today...they just don't know the things they miss out on. I wouldn't trade a good Touch-Me-Not battle for 1,000 hours on a smart device. If you do grow them, and I hope you will, handle with care. They'll startle you if they go off unexpectedly. It's loads of fun. Give it a try.
 WAR IS NOT HEALTHY FOR CHILDREN AND OTHER LIVING THINGS. Have a nice day. Peace.

Touch-Me-Nots in action, with flying caterpillars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ5dQ_Pdfac