RUSHVILLE —
The bonafide members of the Mule Barn truck stop’s philosophy counter and world dilemma think tank adjourned early Saturday to reconvene at the top of Geezer Hill. That wasn’t its real name, of course. It didn’t have a real name. It wasn’t much of a hill, either. More like a twenty-foot elevation. The youngsters called it Geezer Hill because several members of the think tank, being in possession of gray hair and semi-wisdom, had smoothed out a sled run that featured style rather than speed.
Each winter since, when the moon was right, nothing good was on television, and the joints didn’t ache more than usual, the aforementioned geezers slid down the hill.
Herb and Doc and Marvin stood at the top and got the toboggan ready, while Steve just watched. He was younger, quite a bit younger, than the other three, but this cold weather got his hurt parts riled up and he was sitting this one out.
“I keep looking around for someone young enough to make the first run and kinda top it off for us,” Doc said, “and we don’t have anyone.”
“I’d go first,” Herb said, “if I hadn’t promised my wife I wouldn’t.”
“Can’t be that hard to do, I mean, just to go first,” Marvin said. “Where’s your pioneering spirit?”
“So you’re going first, Marvin?”
“Not today. Today is … something … can’t remember what. But if it was tomorrow, I’d go first.”
“Tomorrow that run will be all smooth and packed down and old ladies could go down it,” Herb said. “Tomorrow, we’ll have been over it dozens of times.”
“Got any old ladies around?” Doc asked.
Steve did a couple of squats, and swung his arms around. He took the toboggan rope from Doc’s hand, sat down, put both boots over the front curl of it, and pushed off.
“Yeehaw!” he yelled as the toboggan slid in slow-motion along its gentle path to the bottom. Both he and the toboggan arrived at the bottom together, and the three oldsters applauded as Steve walked back up.
Doc grabbed the toboggan’s rope. “I’ll go next.”
And as he sat down in it, he grinned up at the tall cowboy with the walrus moustache. “Steve, I believe that’s the first time I ever saw anyone spur a sled to the bottom of a hill.”
“Doc,” he said, “I can ride anything with hair. Or … wood.”
Brought to you by Sweetgrass Mornings, memoirs of an outdoor life. Read a sample at www.slimrandles.com.
Columns
Randles: Home Country 030113
- Columns
-
-
Stuart: From zippy to zapped in Old San Juan
My family’s spring break vacation didn’t last nearly as long as it’s taking me to tell you about it in these columns. If it had, our cruise would be going into its fifth week. That would be, I don’t know, like sailing with Christopher Columbus in 1492. Imagine the weight his crews put on at their shipboard buffets; no wonder those boats traveled slow!
-
Ward: My early years
There are a lot of things from my youth that I treasure and would not be unhappy to have them back again. Don’t laugh, but BB Bats are one thing I loved as a child. They were a taffy like substance stuck on a stick.
-
Barada: Local library should be a county facility
A noble effort is underway to renovate and expand the Rushville Public Library. It will not be an easy task. What will help, in my opinion, will be finally making the public library a county library.
-
Stuart: Snorkeling fun, in and out of the water
As I continue to relive my spring break vacation in these pages (we’re only a couple of days into it so far - this could last well into the autumn!), I’ll reveal the biggest shock my kids received on our Carnival Cruise. It was 7:30 on a sunny Tuesday morning, when I woke them and said we’d arrived in Charlotte
-
Ziemke: Back home again in Batesville
Following the hustle and bustle of Indianapolis, I must say that it has been nice to be home this past week. Session is an exciting process to be a part of, but for now, I am just going to enjoy the fact that I can be at my restaurant more often to talk to the folks I represent at the Statehouse.
-
Wolfsie: Bird calls
One afternoon in 2011, my friend Eric spent a couple of hours over lunch explaining Twitter to me and I thought I understood it all, but as you’ll see from my first few tweets, I wasn’t very confident:
-
Mauzy: Weddings paint a larger picture of life
The marriage of my oldest daughter was this past weekend. With great fortune, weather remained wonderful for the outside venue. More than a stroke of good luck concerning the weather, the calm and positive energies of everyone in attendance would have overcome any adversity.
-
Messer: Have we learned the lessons of 9/11?
September 11 was a devastating wake up call for every American. The events of that terrible day taught us that we are at war with violent Islamist extremists. If we let them, these jihadists are committed to exploiting our generosity and legal protections to further their murderous mania. The 9/11 Commission which investigated that tragedy concluded warning signs were everywhere, noting that “the system was blinking red.”
-
Ward: When making furniture was king
I have fond memories of Rushville when it had three lumber yard/coal yards, four railroads went through town, the city owned the electric utility and the phone company was user owned and operated. The main industry was furniture, with three large manufacturers in town.
-
Barada: The GOP and its next run for the White House
I’m going to make a fearless prediction this week. If the Republicans don’t get their act together soon, very soon, there will be another Democrat in the White House for the eight years following the end of the Obama Administration.
- More Columns Headlines
-
Stuart: From zippy to zapped in Old San Juan
Raw: Widespread Destruction in Moore, Okla.
Raw: Massive Funnel Clouds in Oklahoma
Raw: Japan's WWII Atrocities Under Fire in Seoul
Voters Could Elect LA's First Female Mayor
Huge Tornado Kills Dozens Near Oklahoma City
Raw: Rescuers Pull Tornado Survivors to Safety
Oklahoma Gov: 'Hearts Are Broken' After Tornado
Raw: Walking in a Flattened Okla. Neighborhood
Raw: Rescue Workers Search Oklahoma School
Raw: Witness Describes Scene After Okla. Tornado
Raw: Aftermath of Massive Tornado in Oklahoma
Raw: House Burns After Massive Oklahoma Tornado
Raw: Tornado on the Ground in Oklahoma
Split-second Choice Ended With NY Student Dead
White House Backs 'Shield Law' for Media
Wave of Attacks Kills Scores in Iraq
Pug Life on Display at Wisconsin Festival
Company Promises to Make All Snail Mail Digital
Analyst: Tumblr Fills Void in Yahoo's Offerings
