I didn't have skates

When I was a girl I didn't have skates like the girls in town. I wanted skates, but where would I skate on the farm? I did walk the fence top around the house. Then Mother took that out so the house would look more like a plantation home with the big yard out front. Closer to the house was where we played croquet and further down the way, in the grove, was the basketball court. The main gate was down by the spring and the barn.

I didn't skate, but I would catch a mule and go for a ride, or go down to the barn and play with a newborn calf. I had the feeling that some of the mothers of my friends in town did not approve of me. I was a tomboy and liked sports. I earned some money picking peaches or berries and I asked Forest to go to town and buy me a rope and tie it up high in the tree out in the yard. I learned to swing around and around that tree. I was a human tether ball. I learned to twist myself as I went around the tree so that I would always hit the tree trunk with my feet and push off again. Kids would come to our house and see me do that, and they would try it. But they would hit their backs on the tree trunk. I would show off for them. I feel bad about that- well, a little bit.

I didn't get to skate, but the boys played a game called mumble-peg. You take a pocket knife and open it to the shape of an L and then you throw it and try to get it to stick in the ground. I would challenge Jim, but I was never any good at it.

I always wanted to skate, but we had a swing on a tree up by the house. We would carry the swing up onto the roof and get in the swing and jump off. All of us except for John. He was afraid of heights. Even in the barn, dad could not ask him to go high into the loft. My dad was never afraid of heights, so I don't know why John was. None of the rest of us were.

(NOTE: I have a picture of me on a skate at probably less than 2 yrs old. Now I think I know why!-- Mom)