Easter Past

Work becomes more like work every day. Man the age of my sons has been working for the last couple of weeks and worked here in January. Today he was zooming around doing my job. I felt myself get frustrated as he ran his behind off doing my responsibilities. There was a bit of walking to the office to find Brian doing my job. Then I took a deap breath and thought good gravy who cares if he wants to do twice the work, more power to him. I went and helped another worker. Now if he had tried to take over my classroom I would have suplexed him ( a wrestling move where you throw the opponent over your shoulder. I had a classroom aide a few years ago that tried to do exactly that. I don't know that I ever got her to understand that I was paid to do my job and I didn't want her to do it for me. but life goes on.

My aunt Nola went to Washington DC as a college freshman to work for the war department. She never married or had kids. She was ve she very generous with with my sibilings and I. At easter she would send the girls new dresses and hats and the boys white shirts. I didn't care much for white shirts or shoes for that matter. I only wore them when appsolutely necessary. Easter was one of those times. One easter when the water was high in the creek do to rains Peggy and I went for a walk down the road to the bridge to watch the water. We had just gotten a new bridge and we stood on the concrete and leaned over the edge. Peggy gave me her new hat to hold. Peggy was a year older than I and always tried to be bossy. I rarely listened. I already had my shoes off and tied together and over my shoulder. Holding her hat I leaned to watch the dark water rush under the bridge. I must have gotten her hat too close to the water and Peggy yelled. "Well, just throw it in why don't you" I didn't understand sarcasm. I threw the hat in. it floated on top and rushed down the river. Peggy was in instant tears and ran for the house to tell mom. I ran with the hat and it floated along. I grabbed a willow stick and reached for it but he kept swaying out of my reach. I didn't know how to swim but I wadded in several times. the hat just kept getting a head of me. I ran ahead of it grabbed a willow tree that was in the water and tried to wade out further. I had already lost my shoes and when my pant cuffs filled with mud they were the next to go. The catch was unsuccessful I climbed the muddy bank and had given up. I decided it was time to go home a face whatever punishment I would be given. Mom rarely gave out punishment. It was more of talk to me about it. uggg. I rather be dragged by wild hogs though the pig lot. When when I climbed out of the weeds I discovered I was almost to the next road over. a 1/2 mile from home. I thought I would take the road. I think I was thinking of the longest route home. When I got close to the road I look back at the creek and there glory of glories was the hat. It was caught in the low fence that farmers some times hung over fences to keep their cattle from going into the creek and excaping. I climbed across the fence retrieved the hat and headed for home. My white shirt was shedded my pants and shoes were somewhere. and off I trudged with the little white plastic hat hanging on my willow stick in my little tighty whities. I found my shoes near the road when I approached home. and I took the ribbon off my easter bucket to replace the one that was on the hat and had not survived the swim. I don't know that anyone paid attention to my clothing or lack there of. It wasn't really that unusual. I gave Peggy back her hat and by this time she had forgotten that she even wanted the hat and just told me not to ever do it again. Mom never talked to me about the hat and I didn't go looking for trouble. I found some pants and a shirt in the basement without having to into the house. the basement had an outside entrance. I spent the rest of the day in the barn with a cow that was suppose the calf. She was the cow I milked and we had stopped milking her to get her bread. We still let her in the barn so she wouldn't get out of the habbit. I would often sit in the pasture with her and she would lick my head. The barn swallows had begun to build a nest and I'd watch their progress.

I must have been a teacher's nightmare. 'cause I always was out with the cows and rarely took a bath. When my sisters would be upset with me I would run to the middle of the cow lot ankle deep in cow manure and throw dry chunks at them. I did usually hose down before entering the house.