Another Mess

Mary at Mary's Writing Nook second word she gave me to blog about was CHILDHOOD. First of all, we must describe what I think are child hood years. You are no longer a baby but not a young adult or a useless and worthless teenager. Also, I have very few photos of my child hood as during that time, our home burnt twice and then again the last year I was a teenager. So photos did not survive only my best kept memories. The above first grade photo was given to us and I got it when our parents things were divided.

My very first memory was whizzing along in the dark of night standing up in the front floor board of a late forties car and the radio was blasting out "Candy Kisses"

We had the windows down and the warm summer air was blowing through my short hair and whipping the bare skin of my arms as I had on one of my favorite sun dresses. I did not like to admit that I liked sun dresses as it soiled my reputation as a tom boy.

Growing up in a rural area, I had sister envy as my big Sis was my hero, my play mate and the only one around for me to attach myself too. I did not have any hair when I was born and afterwards it came in as white as snow. My Sis always had lots of hair even today and she could not get use to this ugly ducking following her around like a love sick puppy.

My Father worked for a saw mill and we lived near it , Big Sis must have been tired of my adoration as she talked me into letting her bury me in the sawdust pile with only my head out. Ha, and you thought only Indians did it on TV. I was so hot and thirsty before Mother found me and dug me out. As Mother dug, she kept saying "You should not do everything your sister wants you to do." I remember protesting that Sis had promised to dig me out.

At the time growing up on the farm, I did not realize that we were poor according to others standard. I was always happy to play outside with or without animals.

We lived near a creek and I would catch frogs and play with them. You play with what you have but my Grandmother did not like me playing with frogs. She told me that they would pee on you and make warts. Ha, I just got some scissors and cut up some old cloth and stole a few safety pins. Walla, diapers for frogs. Now I do admit they were heck to get on but once they were secure, those little frogs would entertain me for hours on end. I also had Pa's baby chickens and rabbits to entertain me.

My Sis did not like to get dirty or play with animals as toys but I loved running free and getting as dirty as I could. I would snick eggs to put in my mud pies and I even got my city cousins to eat the pies. There were very few trees safe from this tom boy and I loved to go as high up as I could. If there were grapevines, I would use them to swing out as far as I could and then let go.

At one point there was a field between the highway and our house and Pa kept a billy goat in the field. I would entice the goat to come up to the fence and then I would grab his horns and hang on for dear life. What other kids can remember the shaking of ones teeth as you were bucked one way and then the others on the horns of a goat.

At this same time, I was introduced to a horse. Dan was his name and he belong to Mr. Marks whom my Pa worked for as a tenant farmer. There was this large field on the top of a hill between their house and ours, and when Mr. Marks would ride him down to chat with my Pa, he would let us girls ride the horse. At first, I was awe struck by the size of him but it did not take me long to know I may not reach the stir ups but I could use my body and knees to get him to go first down the hill and then up. I finally got to where I would gallop him down the hill and see how close I could get to the fence before we turned back up hill.

Pa always had a milk cow and he would milk each evening. We had a couple of old cats and they would line up and he would squirt them with a stream of milk. It was a very warm day and I was sure those cats were getting a nice good drink so I begged my Pa to squirt me too. He told me to get in line with the cats. I was third up and I watch as Pa would squirt the milk into the pal a few times and then he would send the first cat a nice long taste. I licked my lips in anticipation. Second cat got his turn and I was so excited that I would be next I held my mouth open the moment Pa finished giving the second cat a taste. My face began to ache from holding my mouth open so long and then I could see it was my turn. Can you imagine my disappointment, warm and sticky not cold like I was accustomed too. Pa almost fell off his stool from laughter.

Whenever, Sis and I would have altercations as siblings are bound to do, my Grandmother would put our dress tails under the bed post and we would have to sit and make up but were at arms length so we could not continue boxing each others ears.

There was no such animal as kinder garden, so first grade came and I was so excited that I would get to go to school with my big Sis. Living in a rural area, we had to ride the bus what seemed hours to and from but that first morning I could not wait. When the big yellow bus stopped in front of this extremely long brick building, my Sis took me by the hand and led me down to almost the end of the hall. I will never forget the rows of little desk and the dark haired lady who took me away from my sister and sat me down between these two girls. One had long long blonde hair and the other had long long brown hair and each had a bow in their hair that reached to their waist and here I was with my short hair. I knew then it was gonna be a LONG DAY AHEAD. I had correctly accessed the situation and for the next month, I would spend my time in the hallway crying my eyes out during recess as I wanted to go HOME.

I even succeed to fooling my Dad that I was sick and could not go to school. Mother would leave first in the mornings to go to the shirt factory to work and Dad would leave after she did , so I would be sick at my stomach. I would moan and groan and Dad would tell Grandmother that I was sick and needed to stay home. After he would leave for work, I would lay very still until I thought it was time to miraculously recover. I would then head outside and play to my hearts content. However, the rouse was spoiled when Grandmother told Mom. No more free sick days for Kitty.

We had to write our names daily in the first grade. I would get a red one hundred each day and I thought this is for the birds so I started to erse the one hundred and then I got caught when the paper almost had a hole in it. Mrs. Barnes, my teacher did not like my explanation I told her ," I knew how to do it. " I had to stay in at recess then and write my name 100 times. I thought it was stupid then and even more so now. I recognize that I was bored and needed more than writing my name to occupy my mind.

The kitty justice is when you are young and innocent you are totally happy because you do not know any difference. Until someone points it out.