Reid,

If I embellished some details

While recalling this long ago day

Please be patient.

Long ago happenings I find

Hiding in my mind

Are often enhanced by the passing of time.

The place was the Gerky Farm. To the Rogers Family it was simply, “the gerky place”. The house we lived hadn’t seen much care over the years, but it was a great home. My brother Reid and I, and all the rest of the Rogers boys, and sister Edna too, had great times there. We loved the old place then, and I can be sure our remaining family still remembered it, with moist eyes, and great feelings of love...

***

The day was a cold Saturday in December. It wasn't the dead-of-winter in Illinois. But as I remember, December is just slightly less intense than January for cold weather. The temperatures in the teens were always challenging. And, a challenge was certainly in the plan that day for my brother Reid. His challenge turned out to be, meeting grave danger with quick, rational thinking. His actions and fortitude has allowed me to still be here today, remembering that innocent Saturday morning.

(In 1935 Reid was 9 and I was 7.)

Before I continue, please allow me to say thanks to my brother. “Thank you Reid, thank you very much. Except for you being there on that cold December morning, with the strength, compassion and insight of someone much beyond your 9 years, I would have missed out on the wonderful life I’ve experienced. You, of course, saved my life. If I haven’t said this before, please forgive me for taking such a long time to get around to it. So many years have passed.”

When Reid asked Mom that Saturday morning if it would be alright for the two of us to go see if we could scare up a rabbit, Mom said it was awful cold, but if we would be real careful we could go to the pasture for a while. So into our coats and out to the barn we went to find our "clubs". We were too young to use guns, so we used stout sticks to hunt with.

We scoured the pasture from one end to the other, but not a rabbit did we find.. Soon we started eyeing the railroad right-of-way through our pasture fence, thinking that over there is where all the rabbits are hiding. The railroad track passed about a hundred yards from our house, but our pasture meandered down the hill until the pasture fence was against the railroad right-of-way.

Being the grand old ages of 9 and 7, we had big confidence, but little patience, and we were getting pretty itchy about finding a rabbit. So, we weaseled our way under the barbed wire fence and on to the railroad right-a-way we strolled. This little, non-innocent action was very significant. Mom had said, go to the pasture and hunt. Had we forgotten, or did we just not remember?? Do kids do these things?

Anyway, off we went along the tracks looking for that rabbit. Hurrying along, kicking the snowy grass clumps and shaking or jumping on the icy brush piles. Again, no rabbit. At least no rabbit on this side of the tracks. So, what to do but, cross the tracks to the other side and scurry around there with our "clubs". The rabbits were really hiding in their warm cubby holes this cold morning. They just were not about to jump out of their warm beds. No luck again!

Maybe our being on the wrong side of the pasture fence made us just too anxious. And, hunting rabbits with a stick takes a good measure of stealth, and the patience, which we had little of. That stealth and patience stuff was not on our minds. Even though this was not our first time to hunt rabbits with a club, our experience was still pretty thin.

The more grass clumps we kicked and the more icy brush piles we jumped on, the more anxious we became. Our enthusiasm, however, was waning fast.

Well, with no rabbits to scare up, other things quickly caught my attention. And, low and behold, what do you think I came up on? Right there beside the track was a little pond covered with ice. You could see it was slick and shiny, and just right to run and slide on. And, I did...

I ran on to the edge of the ice and slid nicely into the middle. Suddenly, the ice cracked like an over ripe water- melon, and down through the ice I went. It happened so fast, but there I was, up to my knees in mud and to my arm pits in ice water. With the mud gripping my feet so tight, I couldn’t move them, I quickly felt panic. Threshing around trying to keep my balance and my head above water, I soon became weak. All I could do was swallow water and holler.

All I thought was my mother, my brother, somebody help me! Something suddenly grabbed me around the waist. I thought an alligator had me!! -though I quickly knew my brother, Reid, was pulling me from the mud and icey water. All I did was cry.

In no time he had me out of the mud, out of the ice and water, and on to the snowy grass. The first thing I remember him saying was, "We need to get to the house right away".

How we got to there to the house so quickly, is for Reid to know. I don't remember. It just seems like we were there in an instant. He probably carried me!

I realize now that being soaked to the bone like we were, the swiftness of getting to the house and out of the chill of that frosty, winter morning was critical.

Mom was fit-to-be-tied when she got a good look at us. Of course she had every reason to be. She stripped us to the skin and readied the old galvanized tub of hot water. Being littlest, she stuck me in the tub first.

Thanks to Mom for saving us both from pneumonia. Her belief that a hot tub of water and a hot “tub” of potato soup stood between sickness and health. Without doubt, she was right! Most all her kids have been blessed with good health through the years, and three out of six of us are still here in 1999 talking over old times every chance we get…

(Thanks again Reid, for saving me, on that cold, Illinois, winter day in 1935...)

~ ~ ~