MORE GROWING UP ON STRANGI

                 THE TWO TREES

ACROSS THE STREET FROM OUR HOUSE IS A LARGE EMPTY LOT WITH TWO WONDERFULLY LARGE OAK TREES.  MR. EDDIE AND MISS JUNE ( WE CALLED ALL ADULTS MR. AND MISS) OWNED THE PROPERTY AND IT WAS A GREAT PLACE TO PLAY.  IT WAS SORT OF OUR PARK.  MR. EDDIE AND MISS JUNE DIDN’T HAVE ANY KIDS AT THE TIME BUT THEY LET ALL OF US PLAY ON THEIR LOTS.

  IF YOU CAME BY AT CERTAIN TIMES YOU WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT THE TREES GREW KIDS.  WE CLIMBED AND SCAMPERED ON THOSE TREES ALL THE TIME.  I AM SURPRISED THAT THEY SURVIVED ALL THE HURRICANES WHILE I WAS GROWING UP AND THAT KATRINA DIDN’T TOPPLE IT.

  ONE OF THE THING ALL OF US LOVED TO DO WERE TO TAKE THE LEAVES AND MAKE HIGHWAYS AND THE ROOTS MADE GREAT TUNNELS…WE DUG THEM TO GREAT DEPTHS  THEN A MONSTER WOULD COME CRASH OUR CARS AND ROADS AND WE WOULD START ALL OVER AGAIN.

  ONE OF THE FUNNIEST THINGS THAT WE GOT INTO THAT  WAS SORT OF DANGEROUS WAS CLIMBING ON A LIMB THAT HUNG OVER THE STREET. RENELL WAS THE BEST AT IT SHE WOULD DO IT WILE WE WERE THE LOOK OUTS FOR THE CARS…SHE WOULD SIT ON THE LIMB AND LET THE PEOPLE DRIVING SEE HER AND SHE WOULD FALL AND CATCH HER SELF WITH THE CROOK OF HER LEG AND THE CAR WOULD SWERVE ALL OVER THE ROAD…GREAT FOR LAUGHS…UNTIL…WE SAW A CAR COMING.  YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER THERE WERE NOT AN ABUNDANCE OF CARS SO YOU KNEW PARENTS AND FRIENDS AND WOULD ONLY DO IT TO STRANGERS….SO WE SAW A CAR COMING RENELL IS SET AND SHE WAVES AND THEN DROPS. THE CAR DID NOT SWERVE BUT STOPPED…WE ALL CATCH OUR BREATH AND THEM RENELL’S MOM, WHO HAD BORROWED HER BROTHERS CAR, GOT OUT AND CLIMBED THE TREE TO GET RENELL….SOME WERE YELLING FOR RENELL TO GO HIGHER AND OTHERS WERE LAUGHING AT MISS PEGGY FOR CLIMBING THE TREE TO GIVE RENELL WHAT FOR…THEN MISS PEGGY GOT TICKLED AND ALMOST FELL OUT OF THE TREE….  WELL MISS PEGGY WAS LIKE ALL OF OUR FOLKS IN THOSE DAYS NOT ONLY DID SHE BELIEVE IN CORPORAL PUNISHMENT SHE PRACTICED IT…RIGHT IN FRONT OF US  UP IN THE TREE AND THEN DOWN….ON RENELL.

WELL, IT WAS A LONG TIME BEFORE AN OF US CLIMBED THE TREE…I SAT LOOKING AT THE TREES AND WONDERING IF I COULD CLIMB IT AGAIN…BUT NOW THERE IS A FENCE….SO I GUESS I WILL HAVE TO WAIT.