A Little Topsy-Turvy

Husby and I were on the vacation of a lifetime in the Caribbean.

Now before you start feeling too envious, let me point out the down side.
Umm . . . . 
Okay, you can feel envious.
While on the Island of St. Lucia, we were able to join some other intrepid explorers and . . . erm . . . explore.
On horseback.
And yes. It was amazing.
But what stuck most in my mind happened afterward.
We handed our steeds (yes, we rode steeds) over to our guide and his assistant, then went with another guide on a ramble over the part of the plantation we had missed with our four-footed friends.
We marched along pathways worn smooth in the days of slavery. Watched a donkey turn the mechanism that, as in days past, crushed the sugar sap out of cane.
And generally ooh-ed and ah-ed a lot.
A lot.
Then we were abandoned at the cluster of shopping huts near the plantation entrance to eat and drink and unload bags of money.
Okay, you probably know that we saved a long time for this trip and that we really don't have bags of money. But we were happy to browse. And peruse.
And then I saw it . . .
Now just to keep you in suspense a little longer, I am going to give you a bit of background . . .
My Aunt Mary Stringam had a doll collection.
Behind glass.
In her family room.
I was not allowed to touch said dolls.
Ever.
Sigh.
There was one that I found particularly interesting.
It was a topsy-turvy doll. I'm sure you're wondering what that can possibly be. It's a doll with two very different heads. One at each end. With a long dress that covers the one or the other and essentially gives you two dolls!
Genius, right?
Well, I thought so.
I don't remember what Aunt Mary's two-sided doll had for each of its heads (there are some with Goldilocks at one end and the wolf at the other.) I just remember how very much I wanted to play with it.
Enough background.
That thing I saw in the little shop on St. Lucia? A topsy-turvy Caribbean doll. And, just like that, the memories of that ever-wanted and ever-out-of-touch doll came back to me.
And I instantly knew what I was going to get each of my granddaughters as a gift from my holiday.

With one for me. That I can take out whenever I want!
One last note:
When you ask a shopkeeper for 14 of any one item, especially hand-made dolls, they are quite willing to give you a break on the price. Just FYI.

Uplifted

It's officially summertime in Edmonton. 

Today we were driving past one of the many ski hills that abound in the area.

The snow is finally gone. The slopes green-grassed and empty.

Only the lifts, looking forlorn and forgotten, are there to remind one of the usual bustle on those slopes.

Lifts.

It reminded me of something . . .

Years ago, our family used to ski Big Mountain in Whitefish, Montana.

Every winter.

It was the highlight of our year.

Well, mine, anyway.

Dad forked over a whopping $3.00 ($4.00 CAN) per ticket for us to ride all the lifts all day.

Watched as we attached said ticket to our ski jackets.

Then waved us off cheerily.

I don't know what he and Mom did all day while we kids were having the time of our lives.

But as long as he showed up at the end of the day and immediately took us to be fed, we were happy.

But back to the ski slope . . .

At that time, Big Mountain had four main slopes.

There was the bunny hill. Which we learned on. Then immediately spurned.

Two intermediate slopes.

Where I and my siblings spent the most time.

And, finally, the advanced slope. Which, for me, merely served as the entrance to the back trails. 

Oh, I skied it.

Once.

And ended up taking off my skis and walking down.

Don't ask.

Moving on . . .

The first thing we learned about skiing was the fact that you had to get to the top of the hill before you could come down.

Skiing 101.

And that required the use of the tows/lifts.

Sure. It looks fun here . . .

The bunny slope had a rope tow.

A very sneaky rope tow.

Consisting of a rope running continuously.

I assume it was pulled by some sort of . . . puller.

The rope had to be approached cautiously.

One would place one's mittened hands on said rope.

Then slowly tighten those hands around the heavy, quickly-moving hemp until finally, one's grip was tight enough to actually start one sliding up the hill.

It wasn't as easy as it sounds.

If one gripped too hard, the rope would jerk one off one's feet.

Which, I must admit was hilarious.

Unless it was you.

And, even funnier was the sight of a pulled-off/escaped mitten riding up the rope.

All by itself.

Do not attempt this without supervision.
Ouch.

The tow on one of the intermediate hills was a little more . . . touchy.

It was the 'poma' lift.

Pomas consisted of a long pole attached to the high tow wire by a spring.

With a little disc welded onto the bottom.

Which disc, when inserted between the skiers legs, would, theoretically pull one up the hill.

It took practice.

A lot of practice.

There were the inevitable mishaps and false starts.

People who lost their grip on the poma and watched it spring up into the air.

While the hapless skier slid to a halt down below.

Or, better yet, the people who lost their balance and were dragged several feet before they realized that any hope of completing their ride to the top was gone and that their best tactic at that point was to . . . let go.

The poma lift always attracted a non-skiing group of observers whose sole purpose was to watch.

And laugh.

Jerks.

I should mention, too, that getting off was . . . tricky.

Enough said.

Effective. And cozy.

The other intermediate slope tow was a 'T' bar.

A bar in the shape of a T.

That pulled two riders up the slope.

Or one rider if the other one fell over.

Which happened a lot.

If you were a bit more of a skiing expert, you got to ride the chair lift. The most fun of all. And the easiest to ride.

How often does that happen?

The problem was that it took one to the very highest slope.

And the steepest (see above).

My siblings and I became experts on each of these lifts.

The Ultimate.

Oh, not all at once.

It took time.

And we had our learning curve.

Which was infinitely more 'curve' than 'learning'.

But still, we had fun.

And were finally able to stop providing entertainment for the jerks.

HA!

Masters of the ski lifts.

Life just didn't get any better.

Socked

 

You…and I…see a pile of socks…

I should probably mention that I am a bit of a ‘neat freak’ and have a penchant for all things ‘laundry’.

Oh, and Husby hates wearing socks.

On to my story…

Yesterday, I was collecting for the weekly ‘sock fund’, wherein all socks that have been worn, may have been worn, or simply find themselves unfortunately out of place are donated to the hamper.

Ready to be returned in (to quote ‘Q’ from James Bond) pristine order.

It’s a simple and satisfying operation.

I collect and launder and fold and return.

Husby wears.

What could possibly go wrong?

Stay with me…

I came to a pile of socks in the corner of the bedroom.

Now, you have to know that we’ve been here before. Husby is as protective of his sock stash as a middle-aged dragon would be of his gold and gems. Thus, my hesitation over simply grabbing the whole bunch and leaving.

Me: Which of these socks need to go to the laundry?

Him: None.

Me: But you can’t have this many pairs going at once…

Him: Yes, I can.

Me….

Him…

ME: But…

Him: Look. (holding up one pair) These are sturdy for working outside. (Drops it and picks up another) These are still sturdy, but less so, for working inside. (Moves to a third) These are long and fuzzy for warm tootsies when we are downstairs watching TV. (Fourth) These are a little more dressy for Sundays. (Fifth) And these are short for wearing with my sandals. I haven't worn any of them often enough to warrant washing.

Me: Are you sure you’re wearing the right socks now?

Him… (But with a look that should have burned a hole in said socks.)

Me: (Sighing as I turn away) Wearing socks with sandals is for nerds. And you have pairs especially saved for just that. That must make you a special kind of nerd.

Him…

Me: Yeah, I'm out. Nerd.

Bill of the Pecos

There are an unending number of variations on this story.
All in differing degrees of incorrect.

This one’s…probably much the same.

Ahem… 

Pecos Bill started out life much like any other baby boy in the 1830s/40s. Parents. Birth. Packing up. Joining a wagon train. 

Unbeknownst to his parents, Billy exited the family wagon along the Oregon Trail somewhere between Kansas and Idaho. Near a coyote family. 

Who saw the baby, not as food (as would have happened in any other story), but as a welcome and beloved addition. 

In no time, Bill was playing with his coyote brothers and sisters and, as those baby legs lengthened, hunting with the pack. 

We aren’t exactly sure where or when he met up with men and/or civilization, but we are fairly certain he must have. 

Because, based solely on observation, he adapted local flora and fauna as a substitute for such things as: lassos. A whip. Friends. 

His horse was a maniacal thing known as The Widow-maker. With a notch on its bridle for numerous hapless victims across Texas. 

Bill was known for many and varied feats of strength and skill. Using only home grown and cleverly adapted implements, no less. 

When the area of Texas he called home was plagued by drought, Bill handily roped/pulled a giant cloud in. From California. 

On a dare, he roped (you have to know said ‘rope’ was actually a ‘snake’.) a tornado. With spectacular results. 

Using his wits and a sharpened stick, he carved the Rio Grande. Mind you, I’ve seen that river. ‘Grand’ in name only. 

At some point, he laid his eyes on Sue. Or Slew-Foot Sue as she came to be known. I know. I know. 

‘Slew’ because she lived near one? Or because her feet stank? The origin of that image-inducing moniker has (rather fortunately) been lost. 

And this is where our story starts… Soooo…Bill and Sue met. Bill was smitten. We’re not sure about Sue. We’re assuming. 

In an effort to impress Sue, Bill demonstrated his not-unremarkable skills with a revolver. By shooting out all the stars. Except one. 

Which became known as the Lone Star of Texas. What better way to say ‘I love you forever’ than destroying something romantic? 

Okay, it wouldn’t impress me one iota. Sue? Finally, she was smitten. I guess it’s true that there’s literally someone for everyone… 

A wedding date was set. And Sue had two requests: To ride to the service on Widow-Maker. And to wear a bustle. 

Bill, ever ready to please, agreed to both. Handing her his charge card--or something similar--he told her she had ‘carte blanche’.

The day of the wedding dawned clear. If the weather had been ‘iffy’, Bill simply would have looped something and changed it. 

Sue, elegantly dressed in the aforementioned bustle, climbed aboard Widow-Maker. I imagine the first few paces went…well. Sadly, the following steps…didn’t. 

Widow-maker, true to his name, began to get…twitchy. And anxious to rid himself of his burden in his ‘horsey’ way. Bucking was indicated. 

Something Sue was well-equipped to handle. Except that Sue was wearing that wretched—what idiot thought these were attractive? —bustle. (see above) 

The bustle started to bounce. Higher. Higher. Maintaining her seat became difficult. Then more difficult. Then almost impossible. Then completely impossible. 

Finally, Sue lost her not inconsiderable grip. Like a scene out of a B movie, she was launched high into the air. 

Coming back to earth proved painfully problematic. Widow-Maker having abandoned her, she hit the ground with great force. And absolute zero protection. 

Then bounced back up with all the force of a tightly-strung woman’s undergarment. You have to admit—a great potential for power. 

Each time she hit the ground, she bounced back up with increased force. It wasn’t long before her trajectory was looking…moon-like. 

Fortunately, her beau knew something about stopping an object on the move. Stepping calmly to the fore, he swung his lariat (snake). 

On her next bounce, he deftly snagged his beloved and quickly and neatly put a stop to Slew-Foot Sue’s wild ride. 

In no time, she was cuddled safely in her husband-to-be’s arms. The marriage followed quickly. As did Widow-Maker’s stern and forceful lecture. 

Bill and his precious Sue then proceeded to live happily ever after—raising a whole passel of daring young men and women.

Okay, okay, I know you’ve heard other variations of this story. All told with verve and candor. Admit it. Mine is better. 

Today’s post is a writing challenge. Each month one of the participating bloggers pick a number between 12 and 50. All bloggers taking part are then challenged to write using that exact number of words in their post either once or multiple times. 

This month’s word count number is: 22
It was chosen by: Karen!
Links to the other Word Counters posts:
BakingIn ATornado
Messymimi’sMeanderings   

Coaster Rolled

Ol’ Ben went to the hospital to visit with his friend,

Poor Silas lay there, hurting bad, and bandaged end to end,

Well Ben, he asked him seriously just what on earth he’d done,

To end up wrapped in bandages from toes to ears to tongue,

Well Silas sighed—you know—a shamed, regretful puff of air,

Then looked at Ben, his oldest friend, now seated by him there,

“The grandkids thought a ‘theme park’ day’d be grand as grand could be,

“Then talked and talked till they convinced their mom and dad…and me,

“The drive was great, they sang and laughed, and so, of course, did I,

“Pulled up into the car park. (Perfect day with bright blue sky.)

“Straight to the roller coaster like someone shot them from a hose,

“Hustling ‘Gramps’ between them by clutching his elbows,

“The first round wasn’t bad, but at the top I saw a sign,

“We went too fast for me to see—the writing was too fine,

“I paid to go around again, I wanted so to read,

“Why on earth would someone put a sign too high to heed?

“I got a word or two that time, but still my wonder grew,

“A third time, sure, would tell me all and then I would be through.

“That last time round, I stood up tall, determined I would see…”

Then Silas just stopped talking. Ben jumped up, “My friend, tell me!

“What it was that happened? Did you read that wretched sign?”

“Figure out just what was written in those silly lines?”

Poor Silas, he looked back at Ben, “T’was payment for my crimes…”

He sighed again, “For safety, PLEASE STAY SEATED AT ALL TIMES!”

Photo Credit: Karen of bakinginatornado.com

Cause Mondays do get knocked a lot,
With poetry, we all besought
To try to make the week begin
With gentle thoughts,
Perhaps a grin?
So Karen, Charlotte, Mimi, me
Have crafted poems for you to see.
And now you’ve read what we have wrought…
Did we help?
Or did we not?

Next week, something sad for me...

All the World's refugees.

Thinking of joining us for Poetry Monday?

We'd love to welcome you!
Topics for the next few weeks (with a huge thank-you to Mimi, who comes up with so many of them!)...

Roller Coaster (June 13) Today!

World Refugee Day (June 20)

The Happy Birthday song (June 27)

Independence Day (US) or Sidewalk egg-frying day (July 4)

Loneliness (July 11)

Ice Cream (July 18)

Old Jokes (July 25)

Girlfriends (August 1) 

Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night (August 8)

Lemon Meringue Pie Day (August 15)

Be an Angel Day (August 22)
Bats -or-  More Herbs, Less Salt (August 29) 

Mawage

They are married and we survived it.

Part of me wants to simply end there…

Actually, things went quite well from the initial disaster in the Dollar Tree (see here) right through to the actual day.

That may have been largely due to the fact that Sally was off in Alberta, Canada, shooting another movie and Mom and I were planning the festivities with only minimal contact/input from her. Instead, we were listening to the other bride.

Because, yes, of course my mom and sister would plan to be married on the same day, in the same ceremony.

Hold onto your hats…

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned that Mom and Sally are on completely opposite ends of the whole ‘body shape’ scale. Both are quite slender, but that is where all resemblance ends. Mom has to stretch to hit five feet and Sally has to wear flats to pass beneath a six-foot doorway. Mom has dark hair—well, dark with grey streaks (Sally-caused, I’m sure) and Sally is white-blonde and green-eyed.

Actually, if you’re interested, I look like my mom, albeit two inches taller. Sally takes after our late father.

Ahem…

Anyways, Mom and I arranged the ceremony, the reception, the hors d’oevres/real food, the flowers, and the tuxedo rentals. Actually, Uncle Pete arranged his own clothes. Mom and I just had to dress Mort. It wasn’t as easy as it sounds—mostly because Mort’s taste in clothes and ours is…well, let’s put it this way—Mom and I have taste.

Sally footed all the bills.

It actually worked surprisingly well.

Oh, things got a little tense when Sally’s booked flight from Alberta didn’t materialize in the still-confused post-covid I’ve-been-locked-up-for-over-two-years-and-I-have-to-go-somewhere airport frenzy. Still, she managed to make it with a little over nine hours to go before the ceremony.

AND she remembered to buy a dress!

Mom took the news well—blotting her eyes and coming out from under her bed with a big, rather watery smile on her face. Déjà vu.

Anyways, the people we had hired to do hair and nails arrived right on time. Ditto the limo—pulling into our cul-de-sac with minutes to spare. The dresses looked good. Mom’s was a soft, rather drifty chiffon that suited her right to the ground.

Sally (the I-don’t-care-what-I-look-like-as-long-as-I’m-covered girl) was wearing a surprisingly dramatic silver sheath that fitted her like it was painted on. And what was even more startling was when she turned to me and in a tone that could have been mistaken for uncertainty, asked, “Do I look all right?”

I blinked and nodded as my eyes unexpectedly filled with tears.

Mort and Peter were over at Uncle Pete’s. Mom and I figured if anyone could get that boy pointed in the right direction, it would be his future father-in-law/former army sergeant.

Anyways, we all arrived at the church on time. And apart from the two red-headed Townsend boys getting into a pillow fight partway down the aisle using their ring-bearer pillows (with rings ricocheting off nearby pews), things went as near to clockwork as they could have.

Even the reception started out well.

Food. Stories. Presentation of little bags of sel de fleur as wedding party favours provided by Uncle Pete/Dad's brother Goeffrey, whom we had all just met and who was the spitting image of his older sibling.

Toasts.

And that’s where things went so very wrong.

You have to know from reading past ‘Sally’ stories that she and punch bowls do not always co-exist peacefully. (See: Salloween.)

Well, Mom and I relented for this uber-important day and opted for a lovely carved-glass punchbowl, seated in lonely glory on its own small bench next to the head table and directly in front of the stage.

Opposite, at the other end of the head table was a twin bench which held the all-important wedding cake.

With me so far?

The toasts began.

Sally and Mort climbed up on the stage, excited to deliver their toasts to important people (ie. Mom, Uncle Pete/Dad, Peter and me). Raising their glasses of sparkling apple juice (we are a tee-totaling family, just FYI), they started in.

And it was at that moment that Mort…mis-stepped.

Now normally it wouldn’t be a problem.

But the two of them were standing at the edge of the stage, directly over the previously-mentioned punchbowl.

Mort slipped.

Sally tried to catch him.

And the two of them toppled sideways together off the stage.

And onto the inner side of the ‘punch’ table.

The legs of the table folded smartly, launching the punchbowl in a perfect arc over the head table.

Sloshing the hapless head-table sit-ees (Again, Mom, Uncle Pete/Dad, Peter and me) with bright crimson punch.

But it didn’t end there.

Nope.

Remember that part where I said the wedding cake, in all its glory was sitting peacefully on its own small bench at the opposite end of the head table?

Yeah. That.

The launched punchbowl, after describing the aforementioned perfect arc, landed bowl-side down on that beautiful, artistic creation.

Rendering it less so.

The room went silent.

Sally and Mort scrambled upright and surveyed the damage.

For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.

Then everyone in the hall leaped to their feet and let out a wild cheer.

They were, after all, coming to a ‘Sally’ event.

And that means SOMETHING exciting must happen.

Right?

Mom shook her head and smiled ruefully at me while Uncle Pete/Dad dabbed at the rivulets of punch running down her cheeks with a formerly pristine napkin.

Then, as the cheering died down and people sank back into their seats, sighing with contentment, Uncle Pete/Dad got to his feet.

Once again the room went silent.

He nodded at Sally and Mort, who quickly sat down, and then turned and left the room.

A moment later, he returned, pushing a cart upon which was a massive (and quite beautiful) wedding cake.

Another cheer went up.

Yep. Dad’s got this.

Welcome to the family.

Today’s post is a writing challenge. Participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post—all words to be used at least once. All the posts are unique as each writer has received their own set of words. And here’s a fun twist; no one who’s participating knows who got their words and in what direction the writer will take them. Until now.

My words: Hors d’oeuvre ~ Cul-de-Sac ~ Déjà vu ~ Sel de Fleur ~ Ricochet

Were given to me, via Karen by my friend Tamara at https://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch/   

Now go and see what words the others got—and how they used them!

Baking In A Tornado

The Diary of an Alzheimer’s Caregiver

Climaxed  

Part-time Working Hockey Mom

What TF Sarah

Swordpoint

 You have to know we are a theatrical family.

And live in a home decorated in ‘past-production’.

Stick horses from ‘As You Like It’ hang on the walls. 

Ditto crossed practice swords from ‘I Hate Hamet’, muskets from ‘Monstrous Regiment’ and straw brooms from ‘Weird Sisters’. 

If you look hard, you will see on our backyard pirate ship (yes we have a back yard pirate ship) the rigging, mast and ship’s wheel from ‘Peter Pan’. Nearby is the uber-sturdy table from ‘Seven Brides for Seven Brothers’ now pressed into service as Husby’s workbench...

and the enormous game show prop from ‘Pinocchio’ that is now used whenever our family needs to put up a billboard (surprisingly often…). 

In our front hall, is the table from “Arsenic and Old Lace’ also used in the ever-popular ‘You Can’t Take It with You’.

Downstairs, one entire room is filled with wardrobes full of regalia from over 40 years of Diane-will-make-the-costumes as well as bins (and bins) of hats and accessories.

Our front hall tree has spaces for umbrellas and canes. And yes, there are canes and at least one or two umbrellas.

But those ‘normal’ items have to be judiciously picked out from among the vast selection of swords.

Swords?

And now we get to our story…erm…stories…one from several years ago...

A few years ago, my eldest granddaughter (then 18 months old, now 19 years old) was staying with me for an afternoon. I remember it clearly. Little girl and Gramma playing. A ringing phone in the front entry, answered by Gramma because, let’s face it, 18 month-olds aren’t known for their phone communication skills. Little girl seeking her own entertainment as Gamma’s conversation lasts more than 30 seconds.

Our (then) three sheepdogs laying in that same front entry, awaiting permission to ‘leave the rug’.

Little girl toddling over to the sword (erm…umbrella) rack and pulling out a long, well-padded-but-realistic-looking sword. Then proceeding to bop the dogs on their heads with it.

The three dogs blinking and looking at me imploringly. (It didn’t occur to any of them that they could actually get up and…you know…leave.)

My conversation went something like this: “I’m sorry. I have to get off the phone. My granddaughter is beating my dogs with a sword.”

I don’t remember the response. Let’s just say the person on the other end was used to us and leave it at that.

And that brings us to today…

We had a wasp in the house. A not-unusual occurrence in Northern Alberta in the summer. Sigh.

I pointed it out to Husby while cowering somewhere as far away as I could get.

Me and wasps. We’re not friends.

Husby leaped into I-shall-protect-my-darling-wife mode and grabbed a sword. A Gladius. (Short. Roman. Plastic.)

He stabbed a time or two at the offending creature, but it just continued to buzz around oblivious to the mortal danger it was in.

Or maybe it just knew it was really in no danger whatsoever.

Ahem…

Husby eventually went for something a little more ‘modern’ in his battle against wasphood. An electric fly-swatter.

It proved effective and said darling wife was able to come out from under the table.

Whew.

But we learned something. Although Roman swords were truly effective in most hand-to-hand combat in days past, they are woefully inadequate when it comes to a modern battle with today’s modern wasp.

Maybe if he’d pulled the broadsword…

BTW, if you read yesterday's post (you can do it here!) this is what happened to the baseball: It flew through the window, hit the front of the stalls and bounced backward, landing right back on the windowsill!

Barnyard Baseball

Granddaughter #6 is playing baseball, Gramma’s favourite sport. The first of the granddaughters to do so. Gramma couldn’t be happier!

And that brings me to a memory...

The mighty Ball Player/Cheer leader.

At the Stringam ranch, size definitely mattered.
Average was never good enough.
The buildings were oversized. The land was oversized. The animals were oversized.
Well, at least that's how everything looked to me.
I was four.
One thing that was larger than normal was the barnyard and I know that because . . . well, I'm getting ahead of myself.
The game of preference among the ranch residents was baseball.
On summer evenings, once all of the animals had been properly tucked in for the night, the hired men would challenge each other - and any one else who could swing a bat - to a game of pick-up.
In the barnyard. (Remember what I said about size . . .?)
I was always parked safely atop the fence behind home plate and charged with the solemn duty of being the sole member of the audience.
They told me it was because I was the best at cheering. But I knew differently. It was because they feared my 'heavy hitter' status.
Well, if they wanted me to cheer. Cheering was what they would get.
Enthusiasm, I had.
Unfortunately, staying power, I didn't.
Inevitably, something would distract me. A cat. Dog. Butterfly. Imagined cat, dog or butterfly. Clouds. Grass. Wind.
And quite often, the game went far past my all-important bedtime—which (I might point out) came while the sun was still high in the sky and was a terrible waste of daylight, in my opinion.
But I digress . . .
Once a summer, we had a most magical Saturday. One where the haying is finished and the evening chores are still hours away.
Time for the annual Saturday afternoon baseball game.
Even my mom left her evening meal preparations and myriad other duties and joined us. (I should point out here that Mom was probably the best hitter of the lot—a fact that rather irked most of the hired men. *snort*)
My Mom, Dad and brother, George, were playing on a team with two of the men. My elder brother Jerry, sister Chris and four other men made up the other side.
I was, once more, on the fence.
Figuratively and literally.
The game was pretty much tied up.
Whatever that meant.
Al was up to bat and there was a strange gleam in his eye.
Not that I could see it. On the fence. Behind home plate. Remember?
He nailed that ball and it sailed straight and fast, over the heads of our intrepid outfielders, and toward the barn. The new barn. With brand new windows.
One of which did not survive what happened next.
Everyone gasped and winced when the tinkle of breaking glass reached us a split second later.
Our only ball disappeared inside.
Time was called as everyone scrambled toward the barn.
Al was left at home plate, still clutching the bat, a look of horror on his face.
For the next half-hour, we searched for that ball.
The shattered window bore mute evidence of its passing. But it was not to be found.
Directly inside the row of windows was a corridor which ran in front of the tie-stalls and allowed for feeding. On one side of this corridor, the outer wall, on the other, solid, wood planks reaching to a height of about five feet and forming the front of the stalls. Then there were the stalls themselves. Then another, wider corridor. And on the other side of that space, the tack rooms.
Every square inch of the tack rooms, stalls and in fact, the whole lower floor of the barn were minutely searched.
No ball.
And chore time was fast approaching.
And people were talking about Al's hit as having been 'over the fence'. There were several long faces as the members of the opposite side acknowledged that Al's team had just drawn into the lead by one run.
Those people frantically began sifting through the hay in the mangers. The straw on the floor.
Still no ball.
"If we don't find it soon," my dad said, "we'll have to quit. We have to do the chores."
Redoubled efforts.
Still no ball.
Then Al, he of the mighty swing, walked over to the broken window to inspect the damage more closely.
"Well, here it is!" he said.
The rest of us turned to look. Sure enough, he was holding our baseball.
"Where was it?" Dad asked.
"Here. On the windowsill."
"What?" Everyone clustered around.
"Yeah. It was sitting here on the windowsill."
"But how could that be?" Mom asked. "It went through the window like a shot. We all saw it."
"I dunno. I just found it sitting here on the windowsill."
"Well, that is strange."
They probably figured out instantly what had happened, but I had climbed on one of the horses and missed the dénouement.
Fairly typical for someone with my short attention span.
The game went on and the incident was relegated to an amusing side note in a (with the exception of the broken window) very fun afternoon.
It was years before I figured out exactly what had actually happened.
I'll leave you to figure it out . . .

Gopher Tail

Nature boy. (Daddy at 12.)

It was 1934 and the Stringams had a gopher problem.

For any of you who have lived on or near a farm/ranch, you know that gophers cause no end of troubles. They dig burrows that can (and do) break the legs of horses and cattle. They eat grain intended for the livestock. They make little gophers, who then become big gophers who, in turn, add to the all-of-the-above-mentioned problems.

The fact that they’re cute and furry with big, dark eyes, has no bearing on the story. And no, Diane, you can’t keep one!!! [Sorry. Remembering my childhood and the voice of my father there.] Back to my story . . .

Nine-year-old future-Dad-to-Diane had been assigned the all-important job of gopher eradication. It was a fairly simple process.

1. Find a burrow.

2. Set the traps. 

3. Dispatch the cute but unwanted vermin that wind up in the traps.

Oh, and: 

4. Remove the tails from the dead gophers and give them to your father and receive one penny.

Yep. Simple.

A little background is needed: The Stringam chicken coop was actually a cave dug back into the cliff. Faced with river rock, mortared together with mud, it seemed an impregnable fortress for things feather-headed and vulnerable. Said feather-heads were moved in.

And almost immediately, attracted something that seemed to very much like things feather-headed and vulnerable. Something small and gopher-sized that could dig through the mud mortar and into the coop.

I should probably mention here that gophers really weren’t known for their chicken-dispatching tendencies. This was one weird gopher.

Dad hunted around and finally discovered its burrow. Then set his little snares. And waited.

After four days, he decided that nothing was going to be fooled into stepping into his cleverly-disguised traps, so he walked over to the burrow, prepared to dismantle the whole set-up.

And discovered that he had finally been successful.

He had snared a gopher.

But what a gopher!

He stared at it. It was the approximate colour of a gopher. And furry. But there, all similarities ended. This animal was absurdly long. And narrow. With a long tail.

Dad shrugged. He had a job to do and a penny is a penny. He moved closer and reached for the animal.

Then jumped back in alarm as the animal leaped at him, hissing.

In Dad’s own words, “It scared the wits out of me!”

The intrepid hunter burst into tears. And ran to his brother, Lonnie, working in the shop a short distance away. Lonnie, with still-sobbing Dad following closely behind, went to take a look at this strange gopher that had the nerve to scare his baby brother.

“You’ve caught a weasel!” he said.

Weasels are also persona non grata on a farm/ranch. They eat the chickens (see above).

In short order, the weasel suffered the same fate a gopher would have.  The chickens stopped dying and peace was restored.

But the best part was that Dad got a whole nickel for the weasel’s tail. Four cents because it was four times longer than a gopher tail.

And one cent for tears and anguish.

Yo-yo

 “I’m here to buy a horse,” Jim said. “A horse that likes to run.”

“So point out one you think I’d like and let us start the fun!”

The rancher scratched his head, “I think it’s Yo-yo I will sell.”

“He’s faster than the others and he listens very well.”

The deal was struck, the money paid, but just before Jim mounted,

The rancher said, “There’s one thing more that cannot be discounted.”

“This Yo-yo, he is great to ride—to stop, you say ‘Hey! Hey!’”

But say the words, ‘Thank God’ to get him started on his way.”

Jim nodded quick. Too eager now to note the rancher’s word,

Then scrambled up and soon forgot the things that he had heard.

Away across the fields they went and Jim was soon a-grin,

This horse was fast! Jim made a deal when he’d selected him!

But then, across the prairie, there appeared a chasm deep,

No worries, they would simply stop. No landing in a heap!

“Whoa!” said Jim, and pulled the reins. But Yo-yo wouldn’t mind,

“Yo-yo stop!” he yelled again, (then said a word less kind!)

Ol’ Yo-yo ran the faster. Poor Jim soon was filled with dread,

And he began to rack his brain for what the rancher’d said,

What were the words that stopped the horse? Jim simply didn’t know,

Then all at once, it came to him. “Hey! Hey!” The horse did slow!

Just a mere foot from the edge, he froze like a cadet,

And Jim, he sat there in the saddle, scared and soaked with sweat,

But grateful he’d remembered those two crucial words, ‘Hey! Hey!’,

And vowed he’d ne’er forget them to the very end of days,

He breathed a largish sigh and, grateful that he wasn’t dead,

Looked up into the heavens and, “Thank God!” our Jimmy said.

Photo Credit: Karen of bakinginatornado.com

Cause Mondays do get knocked a lot,
With poetry, we all besought
To try to make the week begin
With gentle thoughts,
Perhaps a grin?
So Karen, Charlotte, Mimi, me
Have crafted poems for you to see.
And now you’ve read what we have wrought…
Did we help?
Or did we not?

Next week, our talents you'll decide

We'll take a roller coaster ride!

Thinking of joining us for Poetry Monday?

We'd love to welcome you!
Topics for the next few weeks (with a huge thank-you to Mimi, who comes up with so many of them!)...

Yo-yo (June 6) Today!

Roller Coaster (June 13)

World Refugee Day (June 20)

The Happy Birthday song (June 27)

Independence Day (US) or Sidewalk egg-frying day (July 4)

Loneliness (July 11)

Ice Cream (July 18)

Old Jokes (July 25)

My Turn!

 Every six weeks or so, I get to host my peeps, The Best of Boomer Bloggers...and TODAY'S THE DAY!

First, let's hear from Carol Cassara:

Some of us give and give....sometimes, though, we don't get anything back, blogs Carol Cassara. How important is reciprocity and when should we stop giving? Check out her post, When to Stop Giving.

Next is Meryl Baer:

The economy has been making headlines recently. Inflation, rinterest rates, the price of everything from appples to ziplock bags and everything inbetween increases with each trip to the store. Meryl Baer of Beach Boomer Bulletin has a few things to say to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen about the state of economy in this week’s post, Why didn’t they ask me?
 

Then Laurie Stone:

When Laurie Stone’s parents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary, she wondered what it was like going through life with the same person for so long. One day she asked their secret. The answer surprised her. 

And Rebecca Olkowski:

Rebecca Olkowski with BabyBoomster.com geeks out watching historical dramas and documentaries on TV. Recently, she watched a PBS – American Experience show about publisher William Randolph Hearst. That got her to thinking about the evolution of sensationalized news that really took off in the 1890s. Read her musings about it here.

Then Rita Robison:

Watchout for loans at auto repair and tire chains through EasyPay Finance and TABBank, says Rita R. Robison, consumer and personal finance journalist. Through auto repair and tire shops across the country, EasyPay Finance issues loans up to 189 percent APR. In states that don’t allow predatory interest rates, EasyPay launders its loans through Transportation Alliance Bank or TAB Bank because banks are exempt from state rate caps.

Followed by Jennifer Koshak:

Jennifer, of Unfold and Begin, likes to journal. She uses it for a variety of reasons, to express gratitude, to track her day, and for self-care. She thinks everyone should try their hand at it and shares how to use journaling to help with your self-care in her latest post.
 

And finally, Tom Sightings:

Tom from Sightings Over Sixty worries that life expectancy has been declining recently. As a group, we're becoming more obese. We suffer from more diabetes, and many of us have difficulty performing routine tasks. But there is some hope. Find out what it is at his post Are You As Healthy As Your Parents Were?  

Last and not least, ME! (AKA Diane Stringam Tolley)

With five of her six children and all 17 of her grandchildren living within 2 minutes of her, Diane gets plenty of opportunities for interaction and babysitting. This is what she learned while watching two three-year-olds and one 16-month-old for two weeks...

And that's a wrap.
Wasn't this fun?!

I love these people!