Once Upon a Time in the West: a first kiss and a fisticuffs

fisticuffs:  to fight with the fists. 

First Known Use: 1605  ~ This correct definition is from Merriam Webster  and can be found HERE

~*~*~*~

Once when I was seven we lived in an unincorporated little suburb of Southern California.  Somewhere in the middle between Pomona, Montclair and Chino if I recall correctly. The little two bedroom house on Kadota Street was  surrounded by cows and cattle fence.  Smaller even than our current Farmlet, it was our family’s little bit of heaven on one-quarter acre.

I had a few friends, but being a bit of a Tomboy back then I really rather favored the friendship of a little blond-headed boy named Johnny.  We use to walk the pastures, build forts, climb trees, and play in the hayloft.  We loved to spin tales and then act them out.

Because of our boyish friendship it came as quite a shock, when one day in the hayloft Johnny tried to kiss me!  On the lips!  He leaned in, and I defensively crossed my arms over my chest between us,

and then pushed him away…

hard.

He went flying back and over the edge of the hayloft.  Crawling to the edge and looking down, I could see him laying there, on his back, and underneath the cow.  He was looking shocked and shouting up to me he exclaimed,

“Well, what’d ya do that for?”

I told him,  “Kissing was for grown-ups”, then climbed down the ladder and ran for home.

Over the next few weeks I avoided Johnny at school.  So it was a complete surprise to find him waiting for me on my way home one day.  He was angry and trying to pick a fight!  I wasn’t having any of that, so I crossed the street and tried to walk on by, but he caught up to me, grabbed my arm,  and hit me!

Of course I got really mad and lit into him, punching him right back, until he cried and ran off for home.  When I got home I said nothing to my parents, because I didn’t want to get in trouble for fighting.

Later that day, his dad came to the door with him in tow.  His dad wanted to speak to my dad.  The conversation went something like this as I recall,

J’s dad:  Your son beat up my son and gave him this black eye!

My dad:  I don’t see how that is possible…  (he was cut off)

J’s dad:  You’re calling my son a liar?

My dad:  I have two son’s.  On is two, and the other is in a cast over there in the living room, and he can’t even walk!

J’s dad to J:  You told me he beat you up?  What’s going on!

J:  No daddy, not him, her!

J’s dad:  You let a GIRL do this to you?  (smack)  Get along home!

Poor Johnny!

~*~

Johnny and I never were friendly after that day in the hayloft, and he never tried to fight me again either.  😉

Of note, a favorite song of mine from about that time was Perry Como’s Catch a Falling Star.  I used to sing the refrain all the time, because it was catchy and I liked the idea. 

“Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, save it for a rainy day…”

However, the whole song has a line in there that may have given Johnny the wrong idea?  Who can say?  😀

Word of the day: tenacious

Why is the whole lawn mowed except for that little island out there?

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I will tell you.

Today I mowed the wild garden down because we plan to sell the house, and no matter how much I like it, to most people it just looks like a lotta weeds.

Needs must…

However, there was a good reason for leaving that one spot unmowed.

Look!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAYou can see from the other picture that I had mowed right up to the edge of this stand of Goldenrod.  She never moved, nor did she even appear to flinch, and I call that

Tenacious

What’a Weechoo Mama!

~*~*~*~

NOTE:  She is sitting on roughly 30 eggs.  (It seems that they all do this, though I have found no explanation for their egg hording behavior.)  I know they won’t all hatch, but hope that at least a few will make it.  The days to hatch for Guinea Fowl eggs is 26 to 28 days.  I estimate she has been at it for a week which means that she sat it out in the torrential rains this past week, and will have to sit it out for any further rains we may get.  So where was the Weechoo Papa while all this mowing was going on?  Hiding in the neighbors pasture!  

I told him he was a big chicken!

~*~

Definitions:

Merriam Webster defines tenacious as:  persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired.

Weechoo :  My pet name for my Guinea foul.  It is my best attempt at the sound they make when they communicate, to me and each other, here on the Farmlet.  😉

And finally, I recommend this read from The Natural Poultry Farming Guide