Faces...

I have never been good with remembering names so much but I almost always remember a face.

Most of the people I ran around with in my youth I can remember the names, some of them are faint memories now but I can still see thier faces even now.

Most of us havnt changes so much other than gaining wrinkles and loosing hair or turning grey, but we still mostly look the same as we did in our youth. The majority of the people I grew up with in early grade school before I moved into the country are still my friends, crazy side is that some dont exactly remember me other than my face. Some of this was due to thier drug use in earlier years or rather thats what several of them have told me.

The reason I have started talking about this is because of conversations during the trip back from moms dr appointment today and after we got back, about some things during highschool and even grade school. You see, Sandi and I did attend the same highschool together. Well, we did but, we didn’t know each other so much as we knew some of the same people. Some of these where people I went to grade school with and some wasn’t. Either way, im kinda getting off point. So here’s todays story.

Even as young as in 1st grade, I had a standard that I lived by that you didn’t pick on the smaller kids or the ones that couldnt defend themselves. Here it was first grade, I don’t remember who all was involved except for 2 or 3 of them but I can still see all of thier faces like they are burned into my memories. For some reason there was an interruption for the teacher to be out of classroom an another for one of the boys that was getting picked on quite often to get shoved into a dark closet by 4 other boys. Needless to say, I stood up to those 4, pulling at them and trying to get to traped kid in the dark closet. I said some really bad words that day, just as the teacher walked into the room. She didnt see what exactly had happened, but did hear what I said and saw me tossing kids to the floor.

Yup, it was my first school paddling, I remember it all too well. Ms. Brown I think her name was, with the paddle made from pencils sandwiched between 2 rulers and held together with masking tape. I can still see it, and can still remember the 5 swats I got the first round. Why did I say first round you ask? Well, I was asked by one of my friends if it hurt and I said “No, not like it will when I get home”. She took me back into the hallway and not only gave me 5 more, but then sent me to the office for more from the Principal.

Luckily, the Principal was more fair and just. I grew to love the man as a mentor over the years and I am still friends and look up to him til this day.

This day that stands in my memory is one that stands out as the begining of my journey as the “bully to the bullies” which I did do for the majority of my life. I always tried to stand up for the unjust treatment of people that were being picked on for the most part and I still remember all of thier faces.. I don’t know all of thier names but thier faces remain the same even now.

Thanks for reading ~W

Check out our store at: https://whysprs-whymseys.square.site

The Life of a Shop Keep

Growing up, after moving to the place I ended up finishing out what would be my teenage years, we had a shop. It started out as a resale and commission type shop and a side for what would become a bait shop. Oh the memories of this place, from early spring to late fall and sometimes the beginning of winter, we even lived in the shop. You see it started out in a big pole barn about 60 ft by 120 ft (its just an estimate in size because I have never measured it). We sectioned off one entire side by length, it had a room that we used like a kitchen with a Coleman stove, a small refrigerator and ran water by hose to it. In the front on the one side we had a large minnow tank, a sales counter, a display cabinet with antiques, a snacks stand, refrigerator with other baits and soda. The other section had all the resale items such as clothing and odds and ends.

This place ended up becoming where I would spend most of my time from age 11 until I graduated highschool and moved out. We had another building that we moved the bait shop part into later on when I was in highschool but we didnt live in it. By the time I was in highschool, I had pretty much started running the entire store inside and out as well as doing all the paperwork for it. It was open 24 hours a day mostly and only closed when I could sneak off, which was usually on the evenings that it was slow or when it seemed there was no business. Most of the time I could predict what days this was going to be, I actually used the business as a project for one of my highschool classes to get extra credit.

Before my stepdad passed away, he had told me that he had been so hard on me about the business because, it was his legacy to me to run it and make sure I always had an income and he knew that none of his kids wanted anything to do with it. He wasnt wrong, his youngest son has told me that he cant even think about fishing because it makes him sick from running that store while in highschool. He didn’t really run anything to do with it other than picking up nightcrawlers to make extra money at night and didn’t do that very often either. I did though.. lol I was picking upwards of over 1000 per night and getting paid .02 cents per worm. That was $20 per night in just a matter of a couple hours.

I was also the one that would go with my stepdad and sein the back waters of the lake for crawl fish to sell and dip net or cast net for other bait fish to resell. I seem to remember only twice did my stepbrother take me to catch bait fish and both times he took his girlfriend with him and only once did he help but was only for a little while. When we could go for getting bait fish, we would fill about 10-15 totes to bring back and then I would help my stepdad process and portion them to be frozen as bait.

We also made our own lead weights, specialty bobbers, plugs and sometimes dough type baits to sell. It was just me and him doing that, and my step siblings didn’t help with that either. Yes, back then I was angry that I was the one that “had to participate” but I am not since growing up.

Over the years, I have often thought about reopening the bait shop again, but would probably be harder than it was back in the 80s. Its a new time and you can get bait at any gas station or supermarket around here now, so not so sure I could work that out.

Anyways, thanks for reading ~W

Check out our store at: https://whysprs-whymseys.square.site