| When I was about seven years old my cousin | | | | has a great idea ;lets get some gypsum weeds, |
| Allen was ten.Being much older than myself he | | | | and we can have the battle of the grain drill |
| of course was allowed to do a lot more than | | | | while my Uncle is pulling it across the |
| me; and one of the things he got to do, was | | | | field. Gypsum weeds are these weeds that grow |
| go to the movies with his friends. This | | | | in the Mississippi river bottom with big ole |
| worked out pretty well, as the next week at | | | | thorny balls on them the size of golf balls. |
| some point ,I would get a complete rundown | | | | Needless to say it didn't take one trip |
| and vivid description of what went on in | | | | across the field to produce a bloody mess in |
| which ever movie he happened to go to that | | | | the loser of the battle, and when I went home |
| week. Well actually I guess he kind of acted | | | | my mom was ticked I wasn't allowed to play |
| out certain scenes for realism sake Not | | | | with my cousin for two weeks. |
| saying he got to go to a movie every week;, | | | | |
| no we were just farm kids ,maybe once a month | | | | Then Allen and his friends went to see Tarzan |
| if he was lucky. I think the first movie I | | | | I should have stayed away. Over at Allen's |
| remember hearing about was Robin Hood .Allen | | | | house he had a barn with two hay mows; one on |
| was really impressed by the scene where Robin | | | | each side ,with an area in the middle large |
| Hood fought Friar Tuck on the log with poles | | | | enough to park tractors and equipment .There |
| Kind of like pugal sticks. Well Allen had to | | | | were two ropes hanging from the center beam |
| show me so we found a couple of good sized | | | | So Allen has this great Idea , we could each |
| pugal sticks in the woods and started | | | | grab a rope, One get in one hay mow the other |
| battling. It didn't take long for me to be | | | | in the other hay mow swing over to the other |
| losing big time and when I went home with | | | | side with one little addition. We would try |
| mashed fingers and a knot on the back of my | | | | to knock the other one off on our way across. |
| head ;My mom wouldn't let me play with him | | | | As my older cousin out weighed me by probably |
| for a week. | | | | 80 lbs You can only guess the outcome .But I |
| | | | survived that and High School football, |
| The next movie as I recall was Ben Hur ;Of | | | | College football, and Viet Nam I guess all |
| course everyone knows about the chariot race | | | | the preparation for life's hard knocks paid |
| well seems we had a John Deere grain drill | | | | off. Today my cousin Allen is the pastor of a |
| with a wood platform on the back intended for | | | | church in Missoula Montana Still helping |
| use to stand on while filling the drill from | | | | people make preparations for life however I |
| sacks of grain. But also it was a cool place | | | | don't think he goes to many movies anymore |
| to ride for a couple of farm kids. Well Allen | | | | Thank God. |