The 1930s
Summers On The Farm
On hot summer nights, Junior and I would go swimming in the water tank by the house. My grandfather had placed the tank off limits, but what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. The family would sleep outside on quilts or blankets provided by our mother. My father would tell us stories. We looked up at the sky and my father would point out the Big Dipper. We would look at the moon and imagine a man's face. We would look at the stars and wonder if this was really where Heaven was. There were no lights, except for the moon or stars. When there were no moon or stars, the nights were very dark. I was afraid of the dark, but my father and brother were not. I always thought how brave they were. They were not afraid of the dark.The only sounds were the sounds of nature. You could occasionally hear the sound of a car in the distance. You could tell if the car was coming toward your house or away. I can remember listening for the sound of my father's truck when he was returning from a trip at night. He might be gone for a week or more. On the night he was to return home, my mother would have us listen. We would listen as a car or truck approached the house. First the sound, then the lights. We knew it was father when the truck turned into the drive. He always brought something from the market. One time he was bringing a stalk of bananas home. On the way home he gave a hitch hiker a ride. The hitch hiker got into the back of the truck and my father continued on his way. It was not until he got home, that we found, the hitch hiker had eaten a good portion of the stalk. In the summer Junior and I would go bare foot and only wear cut off overalls. Mr. Packwood, grandfather's neighbor had two grandsons named Curtis and Robert. Curtis was Junior's age and Robert was my age. Junior, Curtis, Robert, and I would make houses out of sassafras bushes. We would pretend we were Frank Buck, the famous African Explorer. Junior had a Frank Buck hat. Jay Hugh Walker Erwin Jay Hugh was my Father's Cousin, he had a truck and trucking was his business. Jay Hugh and my Father made many trips together during my early youth trying to make a living during the early 30s. I remember this trip very well. The trip was to some place in Arkansas. Junior and I were riding in the back of the truck. This was quite an adventure for us. We were now great Travelers. We would see the world beyond Barry County. We stopped at a Gasoline Station and Junior and I went to visit the Rest Room. This was the first time we had seen a flushing toilet. We did natures bidding and Junior told me to flush the toilet. After much thought I pushed the flushing handle. Unknown to us the toilet was stopped up and the water begin to overflow on the floor and out the door. We became scared and ran to the truck and jumped in. Later that day Junior told my father and Jay Hugh that we had broke the toilet..........I can still remember their laughter after all these years. My First Flight We would make secret hideouts in the barn's loft. The barn by our house usually had bailed hay and loose hay in the loft. One day Junior, Curtis, and I were playing in the barn's loft. I was dared to slide head first down the the loose hay. Junior and Curtis knew it was dangerous, but I was to dumb to realize the danger. I took the dare and away I went. I remember sailing out the large window of the barn loft and hitting the dirt head first. The next thing I remember, was my mother carrying me to the house. She was giving Junior hell and Curtis took off for home. Junior and Curtis thought I was dead when I lay unconscious on the ground. Junior ran to the house and told our mother what happened. I can still remember how worried and angry she was. Worried for me and angry at Junior.  And so it goes...... a little boy living in the Country in the 1930s....... Rainstorm Rhythm Of The Rain |
