The boys gathered at Ton an Tanks it was almost 3:30 before everyone
was there. Rodney was still thinking about his dad, and wasn't quite
with it when he started the meeting.
I have it on good authority that the price on bottles might go to 5 cents,
after July. All in favor of holding out until the price goes up say aye.
"Now wait a minute", Brian said, "what makes you think that the price is
going up and why should we wait?" " And where are we going to put
all the bottles we get?"
"It's just what I heard from someone that works at Pepco.",
" Are you guys willing to wait"? The vote was 5 for and 2 against.
"Do we have anymore things to talk about"?, Rodney asked in a subdued voice.
" Yeah, I do, have you thought about the way we will get over 400 cases of soda
bottles to the store"?, Brian said.
Again Josh spoke up " I can do it".
"What we stealing the church bus again"!, Brent said
"No, this creek goes behind the Hinky Dinky store."
"We'll float them there!" The gang looked at each other,
Tank said, "Not in the flat bottom it has a hole in it."
"We'll fix it. ", Josh said " We can screw a piece of innertube over it".
"Everyone else can work on a raft". " All in favor?"
Again the gang looked at each other, and slowly the hands went up.
The obstacle of logistics had brought out the best of them, and the thought
of building a raft sparked excitement in all of them.
Rodney, cornered Josh later, " You know how to build a raft"?
" I read Huck Finn, does that count"?
" You're something else Josh," Rodney laughed.
" Yeah, I know, hey who told you about the bottle deposit going up"?
"Lenny did, but I don't know if he's full of it or not." It's a chance I got to take."
Josh joked," At least we will have a raft at camp Wannamaka!!"
" You want to go skating tuesday night, Rod?" " Travis is going."
"Yeah ,sure", Rodney said.
The boys kind of drifted out of the camp at Ton and Tanks place until
the only ones left were Rodney and Thomas.
" Ton where in the hell are we going to put all the bottles?", Rodney quizzed.
" I guess we'll fill the tack shed, then the barn up at the house, then my dad's shop."
Ton laughed. " hey you alright Rod? I mean I know you went to your dads grave
and all today." Rodney turned and said, "You think this is a crazy idea?"
Ton, just laughed, " yeah Rod but that's why it's so much fun. My dad always
said to enjoy whatever you do." Rodney teared up and said, "yeah mine too."
Ton through his big arm around him and said, "That's what I thought."
"It's hard for me and Tank to find good friends like you."
" 'Cause your fat?" Rodney asked. "yeah, and Tank 's ugly", Ton smiled.
" We don't really care about those kids that make fun of us, but it kinda hurts
sometimes."
"I like you guys you're a lot of fun, I'll see ya.", Rodney pumped his
pedal as he jumped on to go home.
He thought about all the things that had gone on today as he rode the gravel home.
His dad, his friends, and this big soda bottle thing.
The discovery of a friend in Josh and Ton, two of the most unlikely guys
when he started all this. "Clipper, it just goes to show you, You never can tell."
he told the dog as he sat on the porch that night. " What a day might hold in store for you."
" You just have to keep your mind open, even if you're a dog."
The dog looked at him knowingly. "Oh really, Your that smart ,eh?"
He rubbed the dogs head and went in for supper.
"Mom, can I go skating tuesday? Josh and Travis are going and I could
ride with one of them."
" I suppose, who's Josh I never heard you talk about him?" His Mom asked.
Rodney proceeded to talk about his afternoon and all it's discoveries.
" Well, you sure learned a lot today." his mom looked at him approvingly.
Somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered a time when things were happy
and she was able to make new friends easily. She thought about why her life was the
way it was and what Rodney had said on the ride to the cemetery.
When did he get so grown up? He was right about one thing, She and Edwin
were going nowhere fast. He was such an ass when they had come back,
he resented the Father's Day trip. He just couldn't understand.
No matter how she tried to explain it, It turned into her still loving
her dead husband, And how she must not care that much about him.
Edwin had left in a big huff earlier and not returned yet, and she was glad
to have time with Rodney at supper. Spaggetti and meat sauce and garlic bread.
Rodney loaded his plate and ate every bit, then belly full went to bed early.
Some time during the night Ed returned and he thought he heard some yelling.
He soon returned to sleep and got up early to start the mowing.
Going to write anything today???? He laughed in the back of his mind.
Lost is the soul of a boatless man
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
The Soda Bottle Kid
The sun rose slowly into Rodney's bedroom that Sunday.
The plan was to meet the gang at Ton and Tanks for a vote.
It seemed real important to get the confidence of the rest of the guys,
but in the back of his mind Rodney felt today meant more.
He slogged downstairs looked into the kitchen at his mom.
" Honey it's Father's Day," She reported. " We should get up there about
10am." Then he remembered that they had to go to his Dad's grave,
an event that he dreaded. They had to drive 2 hrs to the home place cemetery.
It was the usual placement of flowers and a prayer was said.
" Rodney did you bring a letter?" his Mom said. For years his mother
insisted that he write some kind of letter to his dad.
" Mom I didn't write this year." Rodney said head down.
"Why" ? " I don't think of Dad's here anymore, I know he's not!"
"Rodney!" " It's true mom he's in here", Rodney pointed at his chest and started
to tear up. " I dreamt about him. He told me he was proud of me and things were okay."
" You dreamt about him?" his mother quizzed. " Yeah, and I don't think we need to go
to that grave anymore."
"Rodney, we have always gone every Father's Day, It's what we do, "his mom insisted.
" It's out of respect."
" Okay mom, but, I know he's not there." "Rodney you come up with the strangest
stuff sometimes, but I understand."
"I got to go this afternoon to Thomas and Tanner's place it's important." Rodney added.
Rodney got on the phone to Tank and told him to pass it on that it would be 3pm before
the meeting. "Ok, Rodney I understand , say hello to the old man for me." Tank was a
good friend Rodney thought.
Rodney and his Mom got into the Turnpike Cruiser and headed for Storm Lake.
Rodney put all the windows down, like always, then turned to his mom, " How's come
dad went Veit Nam? Lenny said, they made people go even if they didn't want to.
" Your father thought it was the right thing to do." " So do you think it was right?"
"Rodney, I don't know anymore, I used to just agree with whatever he said."
" Like you do with Ed?" "No!, not like Ed!"she snapped.
" You don't like him much do you?"
"Rodney!"
"Well it's true!, admit it."
His mom skidded the car to the side of the road, " You have to understand
we don't have a lot of choices!"
" That's not true, dad said we always have choices and fishing and
being happy is number one!"
" Rodney , you remember that?"
" Yeah I do, don't you? "
His mom started to cry. "Don't you", burning in her ears.
"Hey I didn't mean it Rodney said softly".
" Let's just go, Let's just go....."
They arrived at the cemetery, turned in, and proceed with the ritual.
Mom laid flowers, and Rodney said a prayer, It went something like this:
Dad, I hope everything is okay in Heaven. I know you're not here anymore
'cause I feel you in my heart. I know you are looking at me when I screw up ,
I hope I can be a man like you. Amen.
Rodney and his mom held each other and cried for awhile then got in the
car and went home. They didn't say much on the way.....
The plan was to meet the gang at Ton and Tanks for a vote.
It seemed real important to get the confidence of the rest of the guys,
but in the back of his mind Rodney felt today meant more.
He slogged downstairs looked into the kitchen at his mom.
" Honey it's Father's Day," She reported. " We should get up there about
10am." Then he remembered that they had to go to his Dad's grave,
an event that he dreaded. They had to drive 2 hrs to the home place cemetery.
It was the usual placement of flowers and a prayer was said.
" Rodney did you bring a letter?" his Mom said. For years his mother
insisted that he write some kind of letter to his dad.
" Mom I didn't write this year." Rodney said head down.
"Why" ? " I don't think of Dad's here anymore, I know he's not!"
"Rodney!" " It's true mom he's in here", Rodney pointed at his chest and started
to tear up. " I dreamt about him. He told me he was proud of me and things were okay."
" You dreamt about him?" his mother quizzed. " Yeah, and I don't think we need to go
to that grave anymore."
"Rodney, we have always gone every Father's Day, It's what we do, "his mom insisted.
" It's out of respect."
" Okay mom, but, I know he's not there." "Rodney you come up with the strangest
stuff sometimes, but I understand."
"I got to go this afternoon to Thomas and Tanner's place it's important." Rodney added.
Rodney got on the phone to Tank and told him to pass it on that it would be 3pm before
the meeting. "Ok, Rodney I understand , say hello to the old man for me." Tank was a
good friend Rodney thought.
Rodney and his Mom got into the Turnpike Cruiser and headed for Storm Lake.
Rodney put all the windows down, like always, then turned to his mom, " How's come
dad went Veit Nam? Lenny said, they made people go even if they didn't want to.
" Your father thought it was the right thing to do." " So do you think it was right?"
"Rodney, I don't know anymore, I used to just agree with whatever he said."
" Like you do with Ed?" "No!, not like Ed!"she snapped.
" You don't like him much do you?"
"Rodney!"
"Well it's true!, admit it."
His mom skidded the car to the side of the road, " You have to understand
we don't have a lot of choices!"
" That's not true, dad said we always have choices and fishing and
being happy is number one!"
" Rodney , you remember that?"
" Yeah I do, don't you? "
His mom started to cry. "Don't you", burning in her ears.
"Hey I didn't mean it Rodney said softly".
" Let's just go, Let's just go....."
They arrived at the cemetery, turned in, and proceed with the ritual.
Mom laid flowers, and Rodney said a prayer, It went something like this:
Dad, I hope everything is okay in Heaven. I know you're not here anymore
'cause I feel you in my heart. I know you are looking at me when I screw up ,
I hope I can be a man like you. Amen.
Rodney and his mom held each other and cried for awhile then got in the
car and went home. They didn't say much on the way.....
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
The Soda Bottle Kid
Friday arrived and the the boys were busy gathering bottles,
and preparing for the weekly count. All of them had scoured the
roadways and bugged their relatives and neighbors for every bottle.
The plan was to meet Saturday for the count, at Ton an Tanks,
and cash them in. Ton had said his mom would drive the bottles
in the station wagon to town.
A lot of the boys had been dropping bottles there all week as they
found them. The tack shed was full of bottles, piled everywhere.
Brent and Brian had a stack in one corner and Ton an Tank had a stack in
another corner. Rodney and Travis had a bunch at corporate HQ
and some in the flat bottom boat at Ton and Tanks.
Things were just getting started at camp Wannamaka, when Brent said,
"Hey where's Josh?, I knew he'd weasel out and keep the money! "
" He'll be here," Rodney said. "Now let's get started counting, you got a
pencil and paper?" "Yeah, Right here,"said Tank.
The count went on for several minutes, when Josh rode up with his dad.
In the back were several flat cases of bottles and several cardboard boxes full.
"Hey, Rod don't forget these!", Josh boasted. Josh's dad helped unload
a huge amount of bottles from the truck, then said he would haul them to town
next week.
At the end they had a little over 50 cases of bottles, Rodney looked at the rest
of them and said," It's a great effort but we're short!" " We have to figure a way
to get more bottles. This week is only $36.24 by my count.
A few of the boys started to complain that they had got more than the rest.
Rodney interjected, " It might not be that way next week, share and share alike,
You may not be ahead next week". They all nodded their heads and they agreed
to meet there next week.
Rodney headed home thinking of the gang and if they would make it.
He passed Lenny's place when he heard him yell," howdy neighbor"!
Rodney slowed and turned in, "Hey, Lenny" "You look deep in thought
Rodney. What's your young mind stirring about now"?
Rodney proceeded to tell him about the gang and the plan.
" But we're starting out short of our goal," Rodney complained.
"Well my little capitalist you have created quite the corporation," Lenny
said. " You're a real business man, but what you need is inside information".
" My buddy down at Pepco told me that the state was going to raise the
deposit to a nickel, Now all you got to do is hold out 'til the end of July.
Rodney's head started spinning, 3 cents to a nickel, then he snapped back
to reality." Yeah right, you got me in deep last time I listened to you Lenny"!
Lenny responded with his usual, " I'm sorry you doubt me little brother but
I got it straight from the head man". " Lenny, don't BS me around that almost
doubles our money if we wait a month". " I got to go, I'll think about it",Rodney
said as he pedalled away. And think he did, started multiplying by 5, instead of 3
Envisioning a mountain of bottles by the end of July each at 5 cents per....Whow!
This would require an emergency meeting and vote. When he got home he phone
Travis the news, they talked excitedly about all of the possibilities.
That night he could barely sleep, he thought about a new bike and some nice stuff
for his mom.
This is a photo of the authors gang, summer of '71.
It was an Ecology Club our first project was cleaning the
the ditch east of our farm. I'm certain there were a few bottles.
The woods and creek that ran through was a childhood playground.
Many a lean-to fort was built there.
It seems to me we are all still that kid collecting soda bottles, mowing or
delivering the paper to earn money, all be it somewhat on a different level.
May we still have the same level of enthusiasm as we did when we were young.
and preparing for the weekly count. All of them had scoured the
roadways and bugged their relatives and neighbors for every bottle.
The plan was to meet Saturday for the count, at Ton an Tanks,
and cash them in. Ton had said his mom would drive the bottles
in the station wagon to town.
A lot of the boys had been dropping bottles there all week as they
found them. The tack shed was full of bottles, piled everywhere.
Brent and Brian had a stack in one corner and Ton an Tank had a stack in
another corner. Rodney and Travis had a bunch at corporate HQ
and some in the flat bottom boat at Ton and Tanks.
Things were just getting started at camp Wannamaka, when Brent said,
"Hey where's Josh?, I knew he'd weasel out and keep the money! "
" He'll be here," Rodney said. "Now let's get started counting, you got a
pencil and paper?" "Yeah, Right here,"said Tank.
The count went on for several minutes, when Josh rode up with his dad.
In the back were several flat cases of bottles and several cardboard boxes full.
"Hey, Rod don't forget these!", Josh boasted. Josh's dad helped unload
a huge amount of bottles from the truck, then said he would haul them to town
next week.
At the end they had a little over 50 cases of bottles, Rodney looked at the rest
of them and said," It's a great effort but we're short!" " We have to figure a way
to get more bottles. This week is only $36.24 by my count.
A few of the boys started to complain that they had got more than the rest.
Rodney interjected, " It might not be that way next week, share and share alike,
You may not be ahead next week". They all nodded their heads and they agreed
to meet there next week.
Rodney headed home thinking of the gang and if they would make it.
He passed Lenny's place when he heard him yell," howdy neighbor"!
Rodney slowed and turned in, "Hey, Lenny" "You look deep in thought
Rodney. What's your young mind stirring about now"?
Rodney proceeded to tell him about the gang and the plan.
" But we're starting out short of our goal," Rodney complained.
"Well my little capitalist you have created quite the corporation," Lenny
said. " You're a real business man, but what you need is inside information".
" My buddy down at Pepco told me that the state was going to raise the
deposit to a nickel, Now all you got to do is hold out 'til the end of July.
Rodney's head started spinning, 3 cents to a nickel, then he snapped back
to reality." Yeah right, you got me in deep last time I listened to you Lenny"!
Lenny responded with his usual, " I'm sorry you doubt me little brother but
I got it straight from the head man". " Lenny, don't BS me around that almost
doubles our money if we wait a month". " I got to go, I'll think about it",Rodney
said as he pedalled away. And think he did, started multiplying by 5, instead of 3
Envisioning a mountain of bottles by the end of July each at 5 cents per....Whow!
This would require an emergency meeting and vote. When he got home he phone
Travis the news, they talked excitedly about all of the possibilities.
That night he could barely sleep, he thought about a new bike and some nice stuff
for his mom.
This is a photo of the authors gang, summer of '71.
It was an Ecology Club our first project was cleaning the
the ditch east of our farm. I'm certain there were a few bottles.
The woods and creek that ran through was a childhood playground.
Many a lean-to fort was built there.
It seems to me we are all still that kid collecting soda bottles, mowing or
delivering the paper to earn money, all be it somewhat on a different level.
May we still have the same level of enthusiasm as we did when we were young.
Monday, June 6, 2011
The Soda Bottle Kid
Rodney woke to the sounds of yet another argument
between Mom and Ed. " Why can't you just leave him alone",
he heard his Mom say. " Did you see his report card!" , Ed blared.
" That boy has his head in the clouds, he needs to buckle down!"
"Ed stop!" his Mom said. " Yeah, just stop you asshole!"
Did I just say that out loud? Rodney had drifted between reality
and what he wanted to do and was unsure what had transpired.
He started downstairs and looked around the corner, " hey what's up?"
The jolt of being caught in a fight made them both look sheepish.
" Rodney I was going to ground you but, I think you can just spend
the day mowing. Front and back and the barn yard." Ed spewed at him
like it was a life sentence. "Okay", Rodney knew that Travis was going
to help in the afternoon. Ed drop jawed , Turned to his Mom and said,
" And don't you let him out of it either, his report card was terrible!"
Ed slammed the door as he left for work.
" Rodney,are you alright?" his mother asked.
"Yeah, I'm okay, why do you let him do that,Mom?"
Rodney was seething underneath, but wouldn't let it show.
" Are you sure?" " Yeah"
"Well I'm going to work, Be safe mowing and I'll see you tonight."
His Mom left with a worried expression.
Rodney went out to mow the back half while it was still cool
and in the shade. Then, he started on the front , when a fiendish thought
crossed his mind. He started down the drive then mowed a big F,
then he mowed a big U, then he mowed ED!
Then as he was just getting ready to mow across the whole mess, when,
clunk, clunk, thump, Crap, Crap, He pulled, He Pulled!
Oh my God, he was a dead man if anyone saw this!
He ran to the road, Oh yeah, you could read it in the rise of
the yard plain as day! If one of Ed's friends drove by he was dead!
If one of the neighbors drove by it would get back to Ed, he was dead!
He ran for the phone and called Travis's place, "Hello Mrs. Reynolds
is Travis there?" "Why no, Travis is gone on his bike, said he'd be back
in an hour." "Please tell him to call me as soon as he gets back it's an
emergency!" " Do you need help Rodney?," Mrs. Reynolds asked.
" Oh no it's a... a...Boys Club emergency!" Rodney toned down the panic a little.
Rodney returned to the front yard and pulled the rope again , but nothing.
I'll hide it he thought, he put the wheelbarrow in front of the top of the F
and the mower in front of the U and a few of the bushel baskets around the rest of it.
Crap, it looks like a deranged farmer yard sale. Well, at least they can't
read it from the road. But there is no mistaking what it says in the yard.
"Clipper I'm a dead man!" he said to the dog. The dog just wagged his tail
like he always did. " You don't understand", Rodney sunk to his knees, "I try and
try to be a man but things get so screwed up".
The dog just licked the tears from his cheeks as he started to cry.
"Stop, Clipper you dumb dog, this is serious stuff."
By then the day had wained into the afternoon and Ed would be home.
Rodney tried the phone again, " Mrs Reynolds is Trav back yet?"
"I believe he's outside I'll look, No, he's gone again I told him you called."
" Okay, a..a.. no message this time." Alright, goodbye." Mrs Reynolds hung up
and Rodney started working on his death sentence requests. I'll have a Lil Joes
Pizza with sausage and extra cheese, no onions, a Coke and please bury me next
to my dog Clipper.
" What ya doin, ya woosie" Travis had come to the door and poked his head inside.
" I got a whole case of bottles today, on the road." Travis said puff chested.
"Ya got your mower!" Rodney blurted out. " No I was just going to help ya finish",
" I wrote FU Ed in the front yard and my mower wont start!", Rodney said in a panic
" You what? Foremann's going to cut your balls off!" " It's not funny, help me!",
Rodney demanded.
"Let's see what's up with the mower.", Travis started out to the yard.
He pulled, and then opened the tank, and told Rodney to get the gas.
then he took out his farmer pliers from his leather pouch and unscrewed the
spark plug. Rodney returned with the gas and poured some in.
Travis took the sparkplug and held it against the block of the mower and said
"pull the rope". Rodney did so, and Travis saw he had a weak spark.
" got any sand paper?" " yeah I think so " " well go get it or do you want to die?"
Rodney returned and Travis sanded the contacts on the sparkplug and
put it back in and pulled the rope. WRRRRRRRRR...............
"Your a genius", Rodney shouted over the drone of the mower.
"Get mowing" Travis yelled. Rodney quicly mowed a big diagonal through
the yard. Then passed off the mower to Travis, and started picking up the
baskets in the wheel barrow, to put back in the shed.
The diagonal pattern continued 'til it was done.
"Thanks Travis you saved me", Rodney said. " You're a dufuss sometimes,
Rodney" Travis replied.
Rodney's mom pulled up, "Hey the yard looks nice, I like the diagonal thing"
Rodney and Travis just busted out laughing, " I gotta go " Travis said.
"Try not to break the mower again". " Ya Sure"
" What was that about?" Rodney's mom asked. "Oh, Trav' fixed the mower,
it conked out." Rodney smirked. "I didn't get the barn yard done, hope you're
not mad." No, but Ed might be, go get started on it and I'll fill him in on the mower
breaking down, when he gets home". " Thanks Mom", Rodney headed for the barnyard.
"Come in for supper in an 1/2 hr okay, I got a Lil' Joes Pizza, your favorite".
Rodney sat in his room after pizza, and fed Clipper the leftover crusts he sneeked
upstairs, " You wouldn't tell on me ever, would you?", He quizzed the tilted head dog.
He fell asleep that night dreaming of a yard service where people wanted him to
spell thing in their yards.
And do that special diagonal thing and trim their bushes in weird shapes.
Life was good again.....................
between Mom and Ed. " Why can't you just leave him alone",
he heard his Mom say. " Did you see his report card!" , Ed blared.
" That boy has his head in the clouds, he needs to buckle down!"
"Ed stop!" his Mom said. " Yeah, just stop you asshole!"
Did I just say that out loud? Rodney had drifted between reality
and what he wanted to do and was unsure what had transpired.
He started downstairs and looked around the corner, " hey what's up?"
The jolt of being caught in a fight made them both look sheepish.
" Rodney I was going to ground you but, I think you can just spend
the day mowing. Front and back and the barn yard." Ed spewed at him
like it was a life sentence. "Okay", Rodney knew that Travis was going
to help in the afternoon. Ed drop jawed , Turned to his Mom and said,
" And don't you let him out of it either, his report card was terrible!"
Ed slammed the door as he left for work.
" Rodney,are you alright?" his mother asked.
"Yeah, I'm okay, why do you let him do that,Mom?"
Rodney was seething underneath, but wouldn't let it show.
" Are you sure?" " Yeah"
"Well I'm going to work, Be safe mowing and I'll see you tonight."
His Mom left with a worried expression.
Rodney went out to mow the back half while it was still cool
and in the shade. Then, he started on the front , when a fiendish thought
crossed his mind. He started down the drive then mowed a big F,
then he mowed a big U, then he mowed ED!
Then as he was just getting ready to mow across the whole mess, when,
clunk, clunk, thump, Crap, Crap, He pulled, He Pulled!
Oh my God, he was a dead man if anyone saw this!
He ran to the road, Oh yeah, you could read it in the rise of
the yard plain as day! If one of Ed's friends drove by he was dead!
If one of the neighbors drove by it would get back to Ed, he was dead!
He ran for the phone and called Travis's place, "Hello Mrs. Reynolds
is Travis there?" "Why no, Travis is gone on his bike, said he'd be back
in an hour." "Please tell him to call me as soon as he gets back it's an
emergency!" " Do you need help Rodney?," Mrs. Reynolds asked.
" Oh no it's a... a...Boys Club emergency!" Rodney toned down the panic a little.
Rodney returned to the front yard and pulled the rope again , but nothing.
I'll hide it he thought, he put the wheelbarrow in front of the top of the F
and the mower in front of the U and a few of the bushel baskets around the rest of it.
Crap, it looks like a deranged farmer yard sale. Well, at least they can't
read it from the road. But there is no mistaking what it says in the yard.
"Clipper I'm a dead man!" he said to the dog. The dog just wagged his tail
like he always did. " You don't understand", Rodney sunk to his knees, "I try and
try to be a man but things get so screwed up".
The dog just licked the tears from his cheeks as he started to cry.
"Stop, Clipper you dumb dog, this is serious stuff."
By then the day had wained into the afternoon and Ed would be home.
Rodney tried the phone again, " Mrs Reynolds is Trav back yet?"
"I believe he's outside I'll look, No, he's gone again I told him you called."
" Okay, a..a.. no message this time." Alright, goodbye." Mrs Reynolds hung up
and Rodney started working on his death sentence requests. I'll have a Lil Joes
Pizza with sausage and extra cheese, no onions, a Coke and please bury me next
to my dog Clipper.
" What ya doin, ya woosie" Travis had come to the door and poked his head inside.
" I got a whole case of bottles today, on the road." Travis said puff chested.
"Ya got your mower!" Rodney blurted out. " No I was just going to help ya finish",
" I wrote FU Ed in the front yard and my mower wont start!", Rodney said in a panic
" You what? Foremann's going to cut your balls off!" " It's not funny, help me!",
Rodney demanded.
"Let's see what's up with the mower.", Travis started out to the yard.
He pulled, and then opened the tank, and told Rodney to get the gas.
then he took out his farmer pliers from his leather pouch and unscrewed the
spark plug. Rodney returned with the gas and poured some in.
Travis took the sparkplug and held it against the block of the mower and said
"pull the rope". Rodney did so, and Travis saw he had a weak spark.
" got any sand paper?" " yeah I think so " " well go get it or do you want to die?"
Rodney returned and Travis sanded the contacts on the sparkplug and
put it back in and pulled the rope. WRRRRRRRRR...............
"Your a genius", Rodney shouted over the drone of the mower.
"Get mowing" Travis yelled. Rodney quicly mowed a big diagonal through
the yard. Then passed off the mower to Travis, and started picking up the
baskets in the wheel barrow, to put back in the shed.
The diagonal pattern continued 'til it was done.
"Thanks Travis you saved me", Rodney said. " You're a dufuss sometimes,
Rodney" Travis replied.
Rodney's mom pulled up, "Hey the yard looks nice, I like the diagonal thing"
Rodney and Travis just busted out laughing, " I gotta go " Travis said.
"Try not to break the mower again". " Ya Sure"
" What was that about?" Rodney's mom asked. "Oh, Trav' fixed the mower,
it conked out." Rodney smirked. "I didn't get the barn yard done, hope you're
not mad." No, but Ed might be, go get started on it and I'll fill him in on the mower
breaking down, when he gets home". " Thanks Mom", Rodney headed for the barnyard.
"Come in for supper in an 1/2 hr okay, I got a Lil' Joes Pizza, your favorite".
Rodney sat in his room after pizza, and fed Clipper the leftover crusts he sneeked
upstairs, " You wouldn't tell on me ever, would you?", He quizzed the tilted head dog.
He fell asleep that night dreaming of a yard service where people wanted him to
spell thing in their yards.
And do that special diagonal thing and trim their bushes in weird shapes.
Life was good again.....................
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)