Now, THAT Would Be a Shock to the System...

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Now, THAT Would Be a Shock to the System...
My dad is funny. I think part of it is that he's a much younger father than most. He was only 19 when I was born, so I didn't really have an old, mature father like most others. I'm really NOT saying that this is a bad thing. It's kind of fun living with a goofy dad. Between the times I was in 1st and 3rd grades, we lived in Silver Lake on a rented farm. By the way, this is what I consider to be the most idyllic time of my childhood. Most good memories I have were from this time period in this house. The house had four bedrooms; three bathrooms; two basements; a school room complete with desks with old inkwells, maps, and a globe; and two kitchens. The orchard had 13 apple trees. The farm had outbuildings, like a pigpen, a duck house, a corn crib, a huge barn with a huge hayloft, a tack room, a large pasture where we had horses, etc., etc., etc. I LOVED living here, and it seemed our family was happiest at this stage of our life.One day, dad was out in the yard, and had to pee really bad. Apparently men don't come to the house when they have to pee; they just find somewhere outside to do it. I don't know if anyone knows what a corn crib looks like, but it's a little building, kind of like a woodshed, made out of slats so the corn can dry, or stay dry. There are two or three (or more) rooms that run from front to back. Between each room is about a two-foot walkway with open framing boards instead of a floor, also running from front to back. Again, this serves to keep the corn dry. The pasture was behind the corn crib, and the electric fencing was attached along the back side of it. Anyway, my dad decided he could go through the opening, or walkway, of the corncrib and pee into the pasture. So he's standing there doing his business, when all of a sudden he looks down, sees that his arc is going over the electric fencing. He realizes that as he slows down and stops what he's doing, his arc is going to turn into a dribble and drop onto the fence. OUCH!! So, now he's pushing hard and hoping not to stop while he ponders this problem as quickly as he can. Finally he comes to a solution, and sticks his hand out, blocking the stream and saving himself quite a shock.
Posted by Kim at 1:07 PM

11 comments:
prettiest sister said...
I loved that house too, it also is some of my fondest memories. Like when we watched the Ozmands and then the Sonny and Cher show every Sunday night and mom had us get in our pajamas and Kim, me and Kelly would lay on the floor watching these wonderful programs, with our long blonde hair, spread out behing us, and Pete would stand on our hair very quietly, waiting for us to stand up, which of course we eventually did. I loved!!!! the Sonny and Cher show. Kim tell the story about Pete and the dog and the little chicks and Dad's truck.
November 7, 2008 12:23 AM
prettiest sister said...
Oh yeah, It was also in that house that I took my first shower instead of a bath, and carefully and patiently taught me how to hold a washcloth over my eyes and lean back into the shower very carefully with my hair only, to rinse out the shampoo and not get water in my eyes.
November 7, 2008 12:26 AM
prettiest sister said...
Sorry I forgot to type in Kim carefully and Patiently taught me.... I wish you could go back and fix your comments, once they are posted.
November 7, 2008 12:31 AM
kadyhexum said...
OMG are you getting mushy on us Keri?
November 7, 2008 12:34 AM
Kelly said...
I have a few memories in that house, the school room, Dad made us a fort out of the snow pile in front of house, it had a bed and fridge, I think. The rooster scared me and I got stuck in one of the buildings, Dad left and I didn't notice so I sat there by myself and couldn't get the courage to leave, lest the rooster eat me alive. Pete falling off the pasture wall. Keri finding a worm in her underwear and screaming bloody murder. Riding Johnny to the end of the road and trying to get him to go on the road/highway whatever it was and she wouldn't do it and I wasn't suppose to anyway.
November 7, 2008 2:34 PM
kadyhexum said...
Sounds like all the fun stuff in our family happened before my arrival.
November 7, 2008 3:10 PM
kasey said...
It was all downhill from there. Kady and Kasey took all the love Mom and Dad had and turned it into stress and bills and too many kids you just wanted to stomp them.
November 10, 2008 2:02 PM
prettiest sister said...
Yep pretty much.
November 14, 2008 11:38 AM
mom said...
Pete never fell off the wall. He just hung there by his fingers while we were listening to his little "hayope". we searched and couldn't find him. He said "hayope" again when your dad was standing right there...he looked down and there he was.
November 18, 2008 10:23 AM
mom said...
And that was the same rooster that always chased Pete. He would be playing out there with his diaper just shredded from that thing clawing at him.
November 18, 2008 10:26 AM
mom said...
As a 25 year old mother, of course you can imaging my reaction to a worm in Keri's underpants!!!!!! I wrapped it in a paper towel and took her to the doctor and spent a hellish time waiting while the doctor searched the encyclopedias for a picture of the worm to find out what it was so he could prescribe the right medication. It ended up being a pig worm, the kids were playing in the sand in front of the pig barn. WE ALL HAD TO DE-WORMED.
November 18, 2008 10:34 AM