MAYBE I'LL FINISH THIS LITTLE BOOK TODAY

BAKER MANAGED TO GET A BYKE AND IT WAS A BEAUTY UNTIL I DECIEDED TO LEARN TO RIDE IT. HE HAD RUN ALONG SIDE OF ME FOR A FEW TIMES SO I GUESS I KNEW HOW IT WORKED. HE WAS OUT IN THE FIELD OR SOME PLACE AND I TOOK IT OUT FOR A SPIN. I DID OK UNTIL TIME TO TURN AROUND. I TIPPED OVER INTO THE WILLOWS THAT GREW ALONG SIDE THE ROAD AND SCRATCHED THE PAINT AND ME. I WAS GROUNDED AND DENIED THE USE OF HIS BYKE FOR SOME TIME.
MY GOOD FRIEND DOROTHY LOVELAND [DEXTER] HAD A GIRLS BYKE AND AS YOUNG WOMEN OF ABOUT 16 AND 17 WE RODE HERS AND BAKERS BYKES TO TOWN AND MOST OFTEN TO VISIT HER SISTER CLEOVA PETERSON IN TWIN GROVES. THE RIDE WAS LONG BUT WE MADE THE TRIP PROBABLY TWICE A WEEK DURING THE SUMMER. CLEOVA WAS A YOUNG BRIDE AND LIVING ON A FARM. THE RIDES HELPED US KEEP OUR GIRLISH FIGURES AND BAKER WAS GONE TO WORK IN TEXAS BY THEN. WE'D SPEND AN HOUR ARE TWO THEN BYKE HOME.

OLIVE TREE
WHEN MOM TOOK JACK REBA AND I TO TEXAS THE SUMMER GRANDMA BAKER WAS DYING WE HAD TO GO TO GALVESTON TO VISIT AUNT ALMA. SHE WASN'T REAL WELL MOST OF HER MARRIED LIFE I THINK. SHE WAS UP AND AROUND WHEN WE ARRIVED AT HER HOME. AS WE PLAYED OUT SIDE OUR CURIOSITY GOT THE BETTER OF AT LEAST ME AND I HAD TO TRY SOME OF THE FRUIT OF THE TREE THAT GREW CLOSE TO HER HOME. THE FRUIT WAS GREEN AND TEMPTING SINCE I'D NEVER SEEN THAT KIND OF FRUIT BEFORE. I PICKED AND TRIED IT WOW IT WAS NOT ONLY HARD TO BITE BUT AWFUL TO THE TASTE . I TOOK IT IN TO FIND OUT WHAT IT WAS. MOM AND AUNT ALMA REALLY LAUGHED THAT I'D TRIED TO EAT A GREEN OLIVE. I WAS TOLD THEY HADN'T RIPENED YET AND BEST I NOT EAT ANY MORE TILL THEY RIPENED. I DON'T REMEMBER GOING BACK TO AUNT ALMAS TGHAT SUMMER.

NURSE
AUNT BERNICE WAS A NURSE AND I THINK THAT IS WHY I WANTED TO BECOME A NURSE. ONCE WHILE I WAS IN BEAUMONT FOR A SHORT VISIT I STEPPED ON A BOARD WITH A RUSTY NAIL. MY FOOT SWELLED UP AND TURNED RED. AUNT BERNICE CHECKED MY FOOT AND SHE'D BEEN WORKING SO WAS IN HER WHITE STARCHED UNIFORM. SHE SOAKED MY FOOT AND TOOK SUCH GOOD CARE OF ME.SHE WOULD HEAT WATER AMD SOAK MY FOOT TRYING TO RID MY SYSTEM OF THE INFECTION. I DID GET LOTS OF TLC WITH THAT INJURY. I ALWAYS THOUGHT AUNT BERNICE WAS THE BEST NURSE EVER.
WHEN IT CAME TIME FOR HIGH SCHOOL MOM WANTED ME TO TAKE SUBJECTS TO BECOME A SECRETARY. I FAILED MISERABLY IN SHORTHAND AND MY TYPING WASN'T GREAT. MOM THOUGHT I'D GIVE UP THE IDEA OF BECOMING A NURSE BUT AFTER THE CHILDREN WAS IN SCHOOL VERELAN ENCOURAGED ME TO GET A LITTLE EDUCATION.

HERDING COWS
THERE WAS NEVER ENOUGH MONEY FOR NECESSITY'S LET ALONE A FENCE TO KEEP THE COWS IN THE PASTURE AND OUT OF THE FIELDS. EACH SUMMER DAY AFTER THE MILKING AND CALVES FED JACK AND I TOOK THE COWS OVER TO THE PASTURE WHERE THEY COULD EAT AND REST AND TRY TO GET INTO THE ALFALFA. WE'D WATCH AND CHASE THE COWS BACK INTO THE PASTURE. WE'D CONTINUE OUR MAKE BELIEVE GAMES IN THE SHADE ALONG THE CANAL BANK. WE USED ROCKS TO MARK OUR FIELDS AND SOME ROCKS FOR COWS AND HORSES. SOME DAYS WE'D RIDE STICK HORSES AND SHOOT THE BAD GUYS BUT EVEN WITH OUR IMAGINATION WE HAD TO KEEP AN EYE ON THE REAL COWS.
WE USUALLY TOOK SOME KIND OF A LUNCH TO EAT BUT SOME TIMES WE COULD SNEAK HOME FOR FOOD WHILE THE COWS WERE SETTLED DOWN FOR AN AFTERNOON SIESTA. WE'D GO BACK TO CONTINUE OUR JOB OF WATCHING THE ERRANT CATTLE. WHEN IT WAS TIME TO TAKE THE COWS BACK TO THE BARN IN THE EVENING WE'D GO FIND THEM AND DRIVE THEM HOME. AS I LOOK BACK ON IT THOSE WERE GOOD DAYS OF OUR YOUTH. THE CALVES WERE FED MILK TWICE A DAY UNTIL THEY GREW BIG ENOUGH TO PASTURE.

TELEPHONES
THERE WAS TWO TELEPHONES IN THE TWIN GROVES WARD THAT I'M SURE OF. MAYBE FISHERS HAD ONE BUT I DIDN'T EVER VISIT THEIR HOME AS I WAS PROBABLY TOO YOUNG.
UNCLE JOE AND AUNT LEAH AND FLOYD AND VERA LAW EACH HAD ONE. THOSE PHONES HUNG QUITE HIGH ON THE WALL. THEY HAD A FAIRLY LARGE BOX AND A SPEAKER ON THE FRONT OF THE BOX WITH A HAND HELD EAR PIECE CONNECTED TO A WIRE. ON THE SIDE WAS A CRANK THAT WAS USED TO REACH THE OPERATOR IN TOWN. CAN YOU NOW IMAGINE TALKING WITH A REAL PERSON TO GET THE NUMBER YOU WANTED. SHE WOULD ANSWER WITH "OPERATOR HOW MAY I HELP YOU"? THE NUMBER WOULD BE SPOKEN THEN SHE'D PLUG INTO THAT NUMBER.
WHEN DARLEEN HAD TOM CHESTER CALLED SLACKS AND UNCLE JOE TOOK THE MESSAGE. I CAN'T REMEMBER EXACTLY HOW MUCH HE TOLD MOM AND DAD TOM WEIGHED I THINK SIXTEEN POUNDS. MOM WAS FRANTIC UNTIL DARLEEN WROTE HIS REAL WEIGHT NO WHERE CLOSE TO WHAT UNCLE JOE HEARD.
THE PHONE WASN'T USED OFTEN AS THERE WAS SUCH A FEW PEOPLE WITH A PHONE. MOST MESSAGES WOULD BE SENT BY CHILDREN ARE THE VISITING TEACHERS AND WARD TEACHERS. MOST OF THIS WAS DONE BY WALKING AROUND THE WARD TO FOLKS HOMES.

THAT IS THE END OF THAT BOOK BUT I HAVE OTHERS TO WORK ON ANOTHER DAY I'LL TRY TO NOT REPEAT TOO OFTEN.