School Daze II

The memories keep on rolling! I only did a year at John Kerr--there 1/2 a year for kindergarten, and about 1/2 a year for first grade, then we moved out to the country and I started classes at Apple Pie Ridge. Outside of school I remember it was really lonely--everyone lived so far apart (for a kid) and there wasn't much socializing once you got off the bus. Grandparents and my aunt/uncle (still in HS) on one side, and my little sibs on the other whom, for various reasons, I just didn't really have anything in common with (Pam was always playing mom and house, and Bobby was just a toddler)--I lived for school most of the time. I remember . . .

• having my first crush on a kid named Tony--he just moved to John Kerr or town or something
  
• discovering that blood from a skinned knee (not mine) is bright red, but it turns brown in a few minutes (fascinating!)
  
• a day trip to McDonald's down the hill for special lunch, and other brown-bag events
  
• rattlesnake in the playground--panic ensued, but I was too busy learning the McDonald's hand-jive pat-a-cake thing. "two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, blah, blah, blah"
  
• water towers, when viewed from the bottom, look like they're going to fall on you!
  
• the John Kerr talent show--some girl did a really good job singing "you light up my life" but the best was the shadow boxing these two boys did to "eye of the tiger"
  
• moving to the country because my grandparents felt God had called them there--we had a hobby farm of about 20-ish cattle, all of which my grandmother named.
  
• copperheads in the house walls, black snakes in the trees, discovering an underground cave where spring water emptied into a pond
  
• climbing trees and playing in the creek in the back yard
  
• having to read out loud to the school principal as a kind of placement exam
  
• finishing my work early so I could go across the hall to the school library to read
  
• on-purpose stealing these books from the library--eventually I took them back (honest!)
  
• first lessons in painting: brush in one direction only, instead of back and forth. this keeps you from splattering your neighbor's work
  
• splattering my neighbor's work anyway (accident!--happened while I was being told to paint in one direction only!) and getting the stink eye
  
• having the nicest teacher ever--Ms. Dove--and was so glad when she finally came back from her honeymoon. she let us keep calling her Ms. Dove, and I still don't remember what her married name was after.
  

. . . and that's about it. Everything else from here on through college pretty much the same; school was where I lived, and to be honest, where I escaped to. I miss the discovery in learning, though--might have to sign up for a few classes here this fall--something fun. Meanwhile, back to the grown-up world devoid of summer vacation, afternoon art classes and mid-day recess. . . how depressing!