“Do you remember how much fun we had when Johnny spent several days over the summer with us?” I ask my family as we reminisced around the kitchen table after a meal one day. As harmless as working, reading books, playing with cousins, and eating pickles seem, Johnny managed to fall into trouble.
My brother and I spent many hours playing with various cousins. Johnny, six years my elder, was the fun loving son of my mother’s sister. During the summers of the early to middle 60’s Johnny spent days with us. He would help my Dad on the farm. My brother and I would beg my Dad to allow Johnny to spend the day with us just reading books and playing.
One particular morning my brother and I gathered around the kitchen table listening to Johnny read a book aloud to us while my Mother cooked dinner. At the time I grew up on the farm lunch was actually called dinner. “And the big brown bear came lolloping over the mountain. ‘No, no!’ the princess cried.” Grandpa Potts read in the book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang , by Ian Fleming. Johnny was reading with much facial expressions and voice inflections. We laughed and laughed. Johnny stopped reading and looked at us intently. He said with a serious look on his face, “Are you to going to listen to this book or are you going to goof off?” Being unsure if our cousin was serious or joking, we decided to seriously say, “We are listening. Please read more.” Johnny continued reading and acting silly and we continued laughing not only due to our cousin’s comical behavior, but due to the book being funny.
After awhile we decided to play under the kitchen table and chairs with toys. The chairs had upholstered backs and cushions. There was a horizontal space between the back and seat upon which my brother and I could stick our heads through easily. Someone sat in the chair while I tried to pick it up and discovered that the padded back of the chair lifted a bit causing a larger space to put your head through. A crazy idea entered my mind. I thought, “Wouldn’t it be funny if Johnny stuck his head through the space and I pushed down on the chair back, closing the gap? And, just what would Johnny do when he couldn’t get his head out?”
The next moment I said, “Hey Johnny, it is your turn to put your head through here.” What do you know; he did, and I nonchalantly pushed on the chair back, closing the space. Shortly thereafter Johnny tried to pull his head out. He tried a couple of times and my brother and I tried to help him. “Oh Johnny, you are stuck!” my brother exclaimed. “Aunt Lois, come here.” Johnny called. “Yes?” asked my mother. “I am stuck. Can you help me?” My mother bent over trying to pull Johnny’s head out. His head really was stuck. My mother sat down on the floor and began laughing hysterically. She said, “How did you manage this?” “Oh Lois, I don’t know; just stop laughing and help me. It is not funny!”
My mother tried controlling herself. She began pulling harder on Johnny’s shoulders while my brother and I held the chair in place. “Oh, Lois my ear is caught! Stop!!” begged Johnny. More laughing from all of us as my mother folded Johnny’s ear over thinking that would provide more space. “What are we going to do?” my brother asked. My mother suggested we wait for Uncle Bill to arrive home for lunch, which could be an hour. My mother began laughing again and Johnny moaned, “I can’t do that!”
At that moment, I decided that my practical joke had gone far enough. I innocently asked, “Does this chair back rise up if we pull up on it?” My mother tried, and raised the chair back. Johnny was so relieved. My mother began laughing again. We all did.
This little secret of mine is just now coming out of the woodwork after 48 years. In fact, I do not think my cousin Johnny knows, er, at least until now!
Another great memory is watching Johnny at the dinner table visiting with my parents. They were all excited! One of his favorite foods my mother prepared was homegrown home canned pickles. He just sat there eating right from the jar one pickle after another pickle. My Dad said, “You are going to make yourself sick. You better call it quits for now.” Johnny said, “I don’t get these pickles everyday and I just love them. I will be okay.” A couple hours later his stomach was hurting, and the laughter began all over again!!!!
I have read “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” by Robert Brault. As I reflect on this cherished memory, I realize these little activities and little memories we made together, as a family, that summer fills a huge place in my heart.
This is Johnny and myself.
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