DAY 155 - COUNTING DOWN TO THE 50TH

Good Morning, Class of ‘64

SNAP THE WHIP - HOMER WINSLOW - 1872

I Remember

Edward Montez

I remember the scent of acorn soup

cooking and deer meat frying

in quiet evenings of summer.

And shivering under thin blankets

in winter and watching the wall paper

dance to the force of the winter winds outside.

I remember the cry of an owl in the night

and I knew it was an ominous warning,

a cry of death.

I remember running in the dust

behind the medicine truck

when it came to the reservation,

lifesaver was a free treat.

And grandpa sitting in his favorite

resting chair under his favorite shade tree

with his dog ‘Oly” by his side.

I remember running naked and screaming

with my aunt in hot pursuit,

a stick in her hand,

she always caught me.

And every summer we would

swim in the river and let the sun

bake us until we were a

shade less than purple

basking on the riverbank,

undisturbed, at peace.

And I remember grandma

toiling in the beanfield

while I played with my army truck

on the fender of a “49” Plymouth.

I remember going to the movies in town

on Saturday nights with

fifty cents in my pocket,

thirty five cents for the ticket

and the rest was mine.

Eating popcorn and drinking water

from a discarded coke cup

and rooting for the Indians to win,

and they never did,

but that was yesterday.

Remember on the front side of the grade school
where first, second and third grades
played at recess time?

Remember the huge oak tree that stood,
roots bare, on the bank at the side
of the school yard where the girls
gathered to play "house" with acorns
for utensils and probably sticks, too?

Remember red rover, red rover
we dare "somebody" over?
Remember waiting for your name to be called,
and sometimes it was,
and sometimes it wasn't?
Remember running as hard as you 

could to break through the line?

Remember jumping rope to
"down in the meadow where the green grass grows,
there sits "somebody" as sweet as a rose?
Remember "first comes love, then comes marriage,
then comes "somebody" pushing a baby carriage"?

Remember "kick the can" and "tag" on warm summer
evenings and playing "hide and go seek" after dark?

Remember the lightening bugs you caught in a jar?

Remember the black tar on your feet
from bursting "tar bubbles" that welled up
in patches the State Road had made
to fix winter's potholes?
Remember using butter in an effort
to remove it before going to bed?

Remember "sparklers" on the Fourth of July?
Remember accidentally burning your feet
on ones that slipped from your hands
and hadn't cooled,
but you forgot they were hot?

Remember in the fall 
when leaves fell from the trees, 
and gathering them into huge piles, 

then hopping on top and scattering them, 

all over the place, just one more time?

Remember fudgesicles, creamsicles, 

and ice cream bars? 
Nehi orange and grape?
 

Those were good times, way back then,
when we were young in the valley.

Those were days to be remembered
on a bleak winter afternoon, 

but we didn't know that then.

 

  

Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way.

Those Were the Days

(By the Long Road)

A Russian song that reminisced about youth and romantic idealism.
Given English lyrics and a slight change to the tune,
it became popular in the early sixties when
recorded by The Limeliters. But, the best known recording

was by Welsh singer Mary Hopkin in 1968.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Those_Were_the_Days_%28song%29
Those Were The Days (original) - The Limeliters - 1962

 Get in the groove & let the good times roll
I'm gonna stay here till I soothe my soul
If it take all night long
Yeah, everybody let the good times roll
We're gonna stay here till we soothe our souls
If it take all night long

Good Times
Written and recorded by Sam Cooke and released in 1964

http://youtu.be/bo8j2ameTS0
Good Times - Sam Cooke - 1964

(An aside)
This is from 1970, but isn't it nice?

For the Good Times

Written by Kris Kristofferson

Fifth #1 single for Ray Price on the country chart

It was a crossover at #11 on the pop chart

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_the_Good_Times_%28song%29 

For The Good Times - Ray Price - 1970