Living With Less And Being Happy!

As many of you know by the majority of my posts since becoming a part of the LIBAW family, I am a poetess, but I also write short true life stories that are included in what I call the "SECOND CREEK CHRONICLES".
Second Creek was just what it sounds like..........a creek about 2 miles from our farm, and thus the name of the part of God's earth that we occupied at that time...........fishing spot, and swimming hole for many happy kids!

These stories are based on our life after my father retired from The United States Army in 1962, and we gave up the "good" life to return to WV for he and my mom to fulfill their dream of having a farm.

It was going from riches to rags, in my young eyes, but as I look back to those days, it was the richest of days, as we had little material possessions, yet we had much love as we bonded together to make it through some very rough times! God was with us, and though we were very poor, and had little but love, we HAD LOVE!

We owned a 165 acre farm, and we raised Polled (no horns) Hereford beef cattle, sheep, chickens, and plowed with a team of work horses. I have written several recollections of my life on the farm....................This one is

"THE GREEN HORNET"

There we were, The Queen of Sheba, and The Princess of Possum Holler, sittin' pretty, riding in high country style. It was Sunday afternoon, and time to visit
Grandma and Grandpa Brooks, and that visit meant the pleasure of riding in the back of 'THE GREEN HORNET".

There were five of us back then, countin' Mama and Daddy, and only one seat,
so that placed the "Royalty" in the back of our family's 3/4 ton pick-up truck that
Dad had named "The Green Hornet". It was an appropriate name cause' it was green in color, and it ran like a hornet.....like flying in spurts......stop and start.....stop and start.............sometimes it stopped, and sometimes is started, and we never knew in which order the two would occur!

But, The Green Hornet, was the ride of the Bowyer family; certainly not one of choice, but one of necessity for it could haul just about anything needed on a farm - bales of hay, chicken feed, pitch forks and shovels, barrels of water when the cistern was low, and on Sunday afternoons, it was there waitin' in front of the house; ready to accomodate us for a visit that would take us away from the multitude of chores that were normally there just beggin' to be done!

Mama, Daddy, and my younger brother, Billy got the pleasure of ridin' up front, but that didn't bother my sis, Linda and I, for we were rather accustomed to ridin' in such high, country style. We even had two lawn chairs that we situated against the back window, near enough to Mama and Daddy so that they could occasionally look back to see if we were still there. We certainly weren't scared 'cause after all, who would harm The Queen of Sheba, and The Princess of Possum Holler? We were invincible!

We even dressed for the occasion, and considered ourselves in high fashion befitting our self-ordained titles. After all, we had been taught that Sunday rides called for pretty gingham dresses, fancy patent leather shoes, and white gloves with buttons on them. And, to complete such grand attire, our hair would be swept up high on our heads to keep it from blowin' too much in the winds as we headed down the road from Pickaway to Snowflake.....so named because it was home for a limestone quarry.

Of course, to make such a splendid journey, we had to be seated, and we had learned the art of climbin' into our "Green Hornet" Coach while we were dressed in such finery. The two lawn chairs went in first, and then we grasped our dresses tightly, as we gave a heave, ho jump from the bumper, and over the tailgate.
The thoughts of the grand aventure that awaited us made this transition just a minor inconvenience, especially since the alternative was to stay home on the farm with all those chores that were beggin' to be done!

Once we were all seated, Daddy would give "The Green Hornet" the signal to start, and The Queen of Sheba, and The Princess of Possum Holler, dressed in Sunday finery would make yet another journey.

A journey that would today be part of the special memories of yesterday of long ago. Days that included rides in a rather common royal coach.

Looking back at the good life, and the blessings provided by a God of love!
Sheila Kline
A Poetess of Multiplicity
The photo above was taken of me and my sister before my
Senior Prom. I am "The Queen of Sheba" in the blue gown,
and my sister, "The Princess of Possum Holler" is in the pink
gown. It was taken in the front yard of my young love.