When I was a kid

When I was a kid

Yellow caragana bushes framed the yard that held the teacherage and the old horse barn and the school with it's side full of tall windows. And there was the ball field and the skating rink that had been dug into the back of the yard. It wasn't a big school, just one room and a little library with a sand table and ten or twenty old books that no one ever looked at, and a cupboard with plasticine to play with when you had nothing else to do.

We had like twelve kids in eight grades so you were a trifle independent cause the teacher was usually with someone else. The most important periods were recess and lunchtime when you'd hurry outside. In winter we'd all sit on the steps inside and tie up our skates and head for the rink even if the bell rang in five minutes it was still fun. Spring and fall were more relaxed and we'd wander around or play ball or do whatever kids do.

If the weather was ok we'd walk or ride our bikes to school. I had a mile and a half to go and we'd usually meet other kids on the way. One big guy would ride his horse sometimes and leave us all in the dust. One time a big kid hung my bike on a fence halfway home and I had to walk. I think my dad had a talk with him cause it never happened again. The kid was actually a nice guy.

I remember one day a salesman drove into the yard and went into the horse barn and smashed some bottles or something and I was like really scared but he drove away and I think it's just a lie I made up anyhow.

In the evenings I was always happy to be home with my old cloths on and outside free to do whatever and have a good supper and watch dad milk the cows and tell me stories.

Then they built the new school with the long hallways and a hundred classrooms and a huge gym and you had to ride a school bus for an hour to get there. That's when my life ended.