The Adventures of Me & My Shadow #64 in VA, MD 08/28/01
646 miles this trip, odometer now 10,837 total, miles this year
10,514.
From MD, Hi Everyone!
Not many miles again this month, a couple trips to my daughter Jenny's to get my mail and one trip to a Tidewater Crabs GMC rally. That trip put on quite a few miles to go a short distance, I had to go to Virginia Beach, and then work my way North on the other side of the bay to Reedville, VA. If my old GMC had wings and could fly it would have been a very short trip.
It was unusual at this time of the year to see the country side so lush and green. I expect in August to see a lot of dried up vegetation but all those rains we have had changed that. I suppose we can also thank those rains for the mosquitoes that we had to put up with at the rally.
I had a great time at the rally visiting with old and new friends and as always, I learned a lot. Not only about the GMC Motorhome, I also learned a lot about the Honda Civic that Jeff, Rebekah and I will be working on to get it ready for my granddaughter Rebekah to have when she gets her first driving license. I also learned more about computers and now I may be able to repair the keyboard on my laptop computer. I did not go on the boat to Smith Island, those who did, said they enjoyed it but complained about the heat on the boat coming back in mid afternoon. I believe we all ate too much of the abundant good food. One of my friends offered me a place to park my coach when I told him I was going to a Navy reunion in Richmond, VA next month. The hotel has underground parking and the closest RV Park was already booked full. When I said I would have to rent a car another friend offered to let me use one of his to drive back and forth to the hotel. It sure is nice to have friends.
As you know, I hate complications and I still believe that it's my doing something stupid that helps make my world complicated. I have done a lot of stupid things in my lifetime that changed my world from the simple, uncomplicated world it was when I came into it many years ago. I also realize there are things that I have no control over that cause some of the complications. Like the increase in the world population. To me, that is the root of most of today's complications. There are also all the inventions that I now can not do without. Like the phone, radio, car, TV, computer and of course there is electricity that makes them all possible. I remember well my uncomplicated world when I was a kid during the depression. There was no money for toys so I made my toys, I enjoyed making them and playing with them. I was the second of six kids and we were very fortunate. We lived on a small 10 acre farm at the edge of town. We got electrical power from power plant in town. We had a large garden, we had chickens for meat and eggs. We had pigs for meat and we had cows for milk so we never went hungry. I never wore shoes in the summer. The skin on the bottom of my feet would be almost as tuff as leather. I had to pull weeds in the garden, keep the cob box at the kitchen range full of corn cobs for fuel and cut wood for the heating stove. I wore hand me down shoes and cloths.
I hated school, I'd rather be working. I never got involved with sports or extra curricular activities as I had to get home to do my chores. When I was older I got involved with milking cows, cleaning the barn and chicken house. I walked almost a mile to school, it wasn't far unless it was snowing and the wind was blowing with the temp below zero. Very seldom did they close school because of the weather. Most of my learning took place while working at home and on the farm across the road. My first full time job was for the neighbor. I was paid $15.00 per month plus room and board. I worked from sun up to sun down six days a week plus some chores on Sunday. I saved money as I never went any where to spend it and couldn't think of any thing I needed. I remember my childhood as being an enjoyable time, I learned a lot, not much of it in school. In those years it was not too hard to tell the sex of a child, the boys wore shirt and pants and girls wore dresses. The girls had long hair, the boys had short hair. I feel sorry for the kids today with all the sports plus the video games, TV and Computers the only thrill they get is buying the next version game for Play Station. Once they use it a day or two they are ready for another one. I don't believe they are as happy as I was in my childhood.
I was held back in the eighth grade and dropped out halfway through the tenth grade. I don't remember what grade I was in when I got my first radio. It was a crystal set, I saved up some money and bought a kit and assembled it. It had ear phones, I was really amazed when I found a radio station on that crystal. I wonder if I could find a Crystal set kit today. Later in life I bought a Color TV Kit from Heath Kit and taught my son Jeff how to solder putting it together. It worked good and lasted a long time. I learned a lot from the DUMB animals on the farm and the wild animals and birds. I wonder if the prefix DUMB is put on the wrong species. After listening and reading the news now days I think back of the DUMB animals and even today I don't hear of the DUMB animals killing each other. They don't smoke, get drunk or take dope, they show more consideration for each other. They are not condemned for being a different color. Yes, I also learned about sex from the DUMB animals, they used it for procreation only. Just yesterday on TV I heard of an 8 year old girl who died after being raped and beat by her cousin and her brother. The way sex is being publicized today I wonder if my great-grand-children will see it as an Olympic Sport. Now tell me; who ARE the DUMB animals?
I even learned how to be a Midwife when I was a teenager. No! not with a woman but with a cow. You mothers out there might relate to this adventure. Me and the boss returned home and discovered a cow trying to have a calf. The calf's head and one front leg were out. Both front feet should come out before the head. We had a problem. We tried to pull it out but that shoulder would not come. I had helped pull calves before and it was no big deal but this one was different. I don't know if it had ever been done before or since but we did it. We pushed the head and leg back in, the boss then but his arm in and got the other front leg in the correct position and the birth went well. The calf was alive but it died in a short time, the cow had no problems. I recall it was a cold day and it took us over two hours and we were both sweating from pushing in and the cow pushing against us. I recall another interesting DUMB animal sexual adventure involving a mare and a stallion to tell at another time.
Till next time, Dallas or Dad if it fits.
Me & My Shadow & Gus on the road