Today being May Day, I wonder if anyone else remembers having made up May baskets full of candy and dropping them off on door steps. As a real little kid, I remember it was actually a little tortuous, because as I remember it, boys gave to girls and vice-versa, and then were supposed to chase each other around. This may have been one of those “town kid” things that happened versus “up in the hills” or “out on the prairie”.
I can also remember the City Hall burning down, partly because what little kid doesn’t have to go and watch a big fire. I also remember it because a bunch of us kids went poking around in ruins afterwards, I’m sure our fake Converse All Stars or Keds tennis shoes were the perfect protection against all the broken glass, nails etc that we were poking around in. We managed to find the spot that was the gun locker, and made off with the Legion’s rifles, which seemed like perfect toys for us at the time, even with all the wood stocks burned off. I think we got to play with them for a few days, until my dad (Jay) came home to tell me the Legion couldn’t replace the rifles unless they turned in the old ones, so the toys had to go back.
Don Lamoureux (75)
Some time back I told the story about riding Hiatt’s horses. On my tenth
birthday {1960} my folks gave me a Welch pony they bought from Hazel
Hiatt. This horse was only “green broke” and was exciting to say the
least. She would try to dump me or scrape me off in the brush every
chance she got! After a while I learned to pay attention ALL the time I
was on her! I got good enough that she couldn’t throw me so she kind of
gave up trying. One time though when I was riding over to the neighbors,
I was riding bareback and both the horse and I were soaked with sweat
from a very hot summer day, as we went up a hill the old phone line was
just above my head. I reached up and slid my hand along the smooth
galvanized wire as I quietly rode along. About that time, someone
decided to make a call and cranked the old phone. The shock went through
me and then through the horse and the next thing I knew, the horse was
gone and I landed on my back on the ground. This time it wasn’t her
fault, I goofed! She had a colt and I broke it to ride and made a good
horse out of it. In 1968, I sold both of the horses to Johnnie Myer and
bought an old Harley Davidson for $150. I got bucked off there too, but
that is another story! Thanks Gary!
Dick
