THE GREAT MELON CAPER and MY OTHER BEST FRIEND

The Great Melon Caper

Each of us, even on a bad day, have something to be truly thankful for. It may be only a quick smile from someone who cares, the greening of the lawn, summer comes.
There are the rarer things in our lives that we often forget, but on the off day our thoughts return us to another time and to remember the wonders of that time.I remember the hot summers in Socorro, New Mexico, where as a boy I learned the wealth of being alive was not in gold by rather in dear and near friendships.

Oh! sure there were times when things got rough because of infractions of the rules of conduct, but none that could mar my friendship with Neil and Gordon. Neil, the sheriffs boy and Gordon the Baptist Ministers son, and I, ah yes we were the ones for all of it.

The summer of '47 it was, the heat was worse than usual, but the planned hayride to the swimming pool was set for Saturday. At the Baptist church the hay wagon was next to the building and laden with watermelons on ice cooling for the next days church hay ride and picnic.

The pooling of resources was a common practice among the three of us, if one had then all had, thus it came to pass that we had the necessary funds for the stop at the 'Bucket of Blood' Damian Padilla's Bar and Package Liquor store. I, being the designated buyer as always, entered the bar purchased the necessary ingredients and returned to the car.

After making several passes by the church, we determined that it was safe enough for us to complete the job intended.

Saturday morning the wagon loaded with cool watermelons were dispatched to the picnic area, along with willing parishioners and unsuspecting guests.

The dear old ladies of the church were all nodding and chatting about the church, about the watermelon, about the needs of the church, about to watermelon, about the next mid week bible study, about the watermelon.

And then, yes then the sheriff arrived and Hell Hath no fury like a Sheriff who finds that his son and two compadres have spiked the watermelons with Everclear. It is no wonder the dear ladies were nodding .
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I must add the following tidbit of useless information.

Rev. Stirling. the pastor of the Baptist Church was a very kind and gentleman, not only to his flock but to every one who came in touch with him.
To this day I know not what possessed the three of us to stoop to the use of the
sheriffs cattle syringe and obtaining a bottle of Everclear (I purchased it illegally at Damian Padilla's 'Bucket of Blood' saloon on the corner next to the bakery) and further spiking each of the melons with a shot of the potent fluid, thus initiating the fermenting process on the delicate insides of the melons, the result was the nodding of the Dear Ladies Of the Baptist Church.
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My Other Best Friend..

He came to me as a gift. And could not have arrived at a more opportune time as there was a rift in our family. I had decided that I should live with my Nanna and in so doing there was a building of hard feeling between me and my Mom. The feelings would cure themselves after a time, but I digress.

Each morning Nanna would wake me before 5AM so I could be off to get my papers at the depot. When I returned, she would get my breakfast and then scurry me off to school.

When one Saturday, paper route collection day, as I was nearing the end of my collections my next one would be the brother-in-law of one of my classmates.
As he was getting his change together I played with his beautiful half shepherd
half yerges. This brown and white pooch stole my heart, and lo, with sinking stomach I left to finish my route.

As I opened the back door to the porch, I heard my Nanna speaking to someone I didn't see, that is until I entered the dining room. There was Ruby Lee Hawk, her brother-in-law, and to my great delight my gift, Spotty.

I would have Spotty for three joyful years. He would be out front awaiting my return from papers, school, and in the summers from what other fancy might take me from him.

His favorite attention getter was the ritual of being first in line for Nanna's hot cakes for breakfast. He would sit up and paw the air until she would fix his plate, he also had to have syrup on the cakes too.

Often in silence of thought and sound I see and hear Spotty, his beautiful brown and white coat shimmering in the wind as he stretched in leaps to rush to me.
In truth I hope that I am in part as good as my Spotty thought I was.

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Define yerges, derived from parts of Southern pronunciation of words, to wit:
Northern, common English beginning would sound like "your" as in "your are". While in the Southern or Texan it would sound like "y'ear", the phrase in plain English would be "your guess" while the Southern/Texan would be "yerges be good as mine"."
Note: Northern question requires 3 words while Southern needs only 2 words.
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