Musings: Part 2

My Speech Book: When I was in Miss Hew-Wing's grade one class, Some of us got to skip classes to attend a special class, called “Speech,” Held in the 'Resource Room' we read short little sentences like The Sun is a Star. Sitting next to me, I remember, was a boy who had a lisp ~ and he would read,

The thun ith a thtar. But, what interested me most with this unique class, was a special book which I had never before seen. This book had 3 mechanically operated rings. She could pull a lever at either end of the spine ~ and the rings popped open, so she could put new pages in it. The paper was lined ~ and had 3 holes to fit the rings. Then she could push the levers toward the center of the book ~ and the rings would snap shut. To me, the sentences we read were just a redundent distraction ~ as I ruminated about how this curious book operated. It was wondrous to see what mechanism could be between the levers to operate the rings ~ and how the force applied to the levers could operate the rings!

Later, with my Mom in a store, it had one of these books for sale.

I so wanted the book ~ to play with it myself ~ and learn how the mechanism worked.

So, my Mom bought me the book and about a half-inch thick-stack of lined paper to put in it.

I called it My Speech Book and because I had this wonderful book,

I could now have my own Speech class.

Chuck Roast: My Mom occasionally prepared such a thing as a chuck roast ~ and I wondered why it was called this. One must not assume that a child cannot think. A 6-year-old child lacks the literary ability to express his thoughts in words and in writing ~ and lacks the vocabulary to explain his thoughts philosophically. My mother always told me that I did not think ~ but I did think!

At a young age, I ran the references:

Peppermint Patty always called Charlie Brown 'Chuck' (a nickname for Charles).

The end of an electric drill which holds the drill bit is called a 'chuck' and the key that tightens it is called a chuck. Could this term have some application to butchery? Is chuck a certain cut of beef, as this part is to the drill?

The word chuck can be a verb ~ as to throw something away.

You could chuck a stone or a snowball.

Applied to butchery, does it refer to the way the meat is cut?

In the series of “Better Homes and Gardens” cookbooks (one of which was heavily used), one of them had a chapter on wild game. We didn't do any hunting in our family, aside from occasional fishing, but, was a chuck a possible game animal that could be procured from a butcher?

I read a story called Reddy Fox. The second book in the series was called Johnny Chuck.

And, while this was imaginative, it was clear that a chuck was a burrowing animal, comparable to a large rabbit or hedgehog. (In the story, he was digging a burrow with a shovel ~ and his wife would find a better spot before he was finished digging!)

As we ate chuck roast, I tried to imagine that this was the culinary form

of the animal exemplified by Johnny Chuck.

And this is what I believed a chuck roast was ~ when I was about six or seven years old.

Only recently, did I confirm that the drill part was the correct comparison.

A chuck to the drill was as a chuck-cut is to the beef.

Dummy: You might recall the family who lived in #8 maisonette. This was my response to someone who was asking about 'weaning a 2-year-old off a 'pacifer.' Back when I was 7 and my sister was an infant, Mom left us one afternoon in the care of a neighbour lady. During the afternoon, this lady told me to go home (across the hall) to get her a 'dummy'. Puzzled by what she could possibly mean, to me a 'dummy' was a person of limited intelligence ~ or one who does not think! Confused, I returned empty-handed ~ yet she pressed me for need of the dummy. She stated, “Your Mom must have a 'dummy' for your sister ~ go home and find me one, she urged. Somewhat intimidated, I was just as confused as to what this strange lady was referring. A 'dummy' sometimes refers to an object resembling a person, but not really alive ~ for testing something dangerous. But, we had nothing like that in the house! My mind drew a blank ~ and I finally came back empty-handed again.

This time, she sent her daughter, Rhonda, back with me to get a 'dummy'.

Rhonda went right over to the 'change-table' and picked up a soother, as we called it.

I was frustrated. What was all this about a 'dummy'? If you wanted a 'soother' why didn't you just say so (I thought to myself). For crying out loud! Some people!

Fried Chicken: Our teacher asked what my favourite animal was, and I said, Fried Chicken.

She said I wasn't funny, but she couldn't have been right, because everyone else laughed. My parents told me to always be truthful. I was! Fried chicken is my favourite animal. Telling my dad what happened, he said my teacher was probably a member of the PTA. He said they love animals!

I do too. Especially chicken, pork and beef. Anyway, my teacher sent me to the principal's office.

I told him what occurred ~ and he laughed, too. Then he told me not to do that again.

The next day in class, my teacher asked what my favourite animal was.

I told her it was chicken, and asking me why ~ I told her

it was because you could make them into fried chicken.

Sending me back to the principal's office...he laughed and told me not to do it again.

I don't understand. My parents told me to be honest, but my teacher doesn't like it when I am.

On an  related topic, my teacher asked me to tell her what famous person I admired most.

I told her: “Colonel Saunders!” Guess where I am now?

About Center Island 1971: In the fall of '71, there was a class trip to Center Island. What a thrill to ride the ferry boat from Toronto to the island ~ and all the fun and exciting stuff. We had to walk to visit the “Far Enough Farm” which was essentially a petting farm for children. I was 6, almost 7, yet there were far more exciting things to see and do on Center Island than these sheep, goats, chickens.

After visiting the farm, we headed back to the ferry docks. I gazed at a log boat going over the flume ride ~ and I thought other classes got to do that instead of visiting Miss Allen's farm.

While it was certainly desirable to be away from cruel school for the day,

the trip for me was an unresolved disappointment.

When my family was planning a trip, I requested Center Island ~ so that I could see the rest of the island park, which had been unresolved. Instead, I was informed we were going to Ontario Place.

I had never heard of that. My mind was focused on Center Island , so I repeated my request.

Therefore, as a 6-year-old boy, I resigned my fate.

I did have Children's Village, which was acceptable.

Later in the day I took a bad step and twisted my ankle, which was sore for the rest of the day.

A & W: You do know why I liked going to A&W as a child, don't you? I once had a dream as an infant of riding in my white crib down Plains Road to the A&W drive-in. It was because A&W had a conveyor belt dishwasher for their mugs. And it was fascinating to watch all the mugs going along the conveyor belt into the dishwasher. I was most fascinated with how mechanical things worked.

(This last writing was sent me April 30, 2019)

Compiled by Merle Baird-Kerr...June 30, 2019

To reply: mbairdkerr@cogeco.ca