May. 03, 2003 - 21:45 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

Maytime

As the old geezer used to say, and being an old geezer myself now, I too say, "When I was a kid." About this time of year the outdoors would be sneakily looked at through schoolroom windows by many of us I think. It was so much more attractive than drab, old, dreary studies. Oh, now and then we would have one of those treasured and seldom seen teachers who loved kids and had a knack of keeping us interested long enough for us to actually learn something.

Walking home smelling things growing and the scent of blooming things around, The Bursting of the Greens," as one might say would put me in mind of -- picnics.

There might be an occasional picnic on a weekend day while school was still in session, but iffy weather in Denver kept them to just a few. We boys loved the thought of Decoration Day, knowing that school would let out in a month and that there would be many picnics through the summer. Decoration Day was about the earliest that folks would go to the mountains on picnics and even then rain might make an appearance. That first weekend on a mountain picnic made this boy a "Mountain Man," with a desire to stay up there forever. We were half free, knowing school was still there yet anticipating summer vacation.

Picnics came in two varieties it seemed to me, company picnics and family picnics. Company picnics were usually held at one of the Denver amusement parks where much the same great food as at family picnics was served, but Mom didn't have to make any of it so Mom also had a respite and a bit of a good time, maybe ride the Ferris Wheel a time or two while visiting with other Mothers. Most company picnics supplied employees with scads of tickets for rides, each of us kids usually would have more tickets than energy and/or time. Employees who were parents seemed to get a surplus if they wished so a kid could take friends along. After one of those picnics I think most of us slept on the way home and were pushed into bed without much complaint. What good times those were.

I loved the mountain picnics best of all I think. They were away from town, in the beloved mountains and that was back before most property was fenced along the way, before excrescences of town homes were peering down at us from every hillside. A feeling of wide open spaces made me breathe free and easy.

Most of the time the picnic area would have a lot of play space, tables and benches. The cars would regurgitate wild kids who went everywhich way with Mother's cautionary words floating on the vacant spots the kids had occupied. The fires were needed to cook the meats and the men busied themselves with that and unloading picnic stuff from the cars and the women would be setting the picnic tables.

The food, the beautiful food at a picnic in my childhood days. Hamburgers with slices of Bermuda onion, mustard, ketchup or whatever, hotdog to a persons own taste, relishes of all kinds. Potato salads, there usually were several, one with mayonnaise which usually had onions and dill pickles chopped up in it, one with Miracle Whip that had chopped sweet pickles in it and one kind or another of salad of the potato variety once there was hot potato salad I remember. Many varieties of soda pop were usually cooling in the nearby stream, we boys having the honor of building a little damlike thing to keep the pop in captivity and the watermelons would be cooling there too. There would be other delicacies too, such things as hard boiled eggs that had been in beet juice and vinegar, several kinds of green salad. All the pop a kid wanted to drink, there would be salty stuff like potato chips, popcorn and peanuts. When the eating slowed down a bit the water melons would be unzipped and dripping chins would live among us boys.

The women seemed to be constantly busy, dishing up stuff, replenishing empty bowls and dishes on the table. My memory is not too swift on this but it seems to me that the women would wait 'til the male of the species had their bellies full before they dished up for themselves, sat down, ate and visited.

After a short session of bull, burps and brags most males and some of the girls would jump up, eager to join in the games. There was usually an area to play softball, a place where stakes for horse shoes could be driven, and all kinds of room for childs games, tag as well as other chase things. For the older kids there was usually hide and seek going and maybe a "Capture the Flag," game going on or, depending on the family there were other activities too. I remember seeing Cribbage games and hunting knife throwing at a log.

Looking back it was odd that with superfull bellies everybody would run their hearts out at some activity or another. Things would go at a fever pitch for quite a time and it seemed as if a collective sigh would go up and then the herd stormed the picnic tables again. Coffee for the folks and pop for us kids. After that it seemed that a contemplative mood would take over.

There was usually enough time, especially in the full summer time to sit around for a spell and swap stories and visit. We kids were fascinated at the memories related by the grown ups. Shucks, we never suspected that they were kids once, 'til we heard some of their stories.

Gradually the men would begin to load up the stuff that had to go back and the Moms would herd us reluctant kids to the cars. Goodbyes were said, several times over if I recall and plans made for the next one. Then we tired, itchy, cranky kids would moan as we would lose altitude on the way back to town because it would get warmer and stuffier the lower we got. Most of us little ones and some of the bigger kids would be asleep before home was reached. What a sorry sight we were stumbling into the house my cousin and I, slowly shedding clothes and falling into bed and do it all over again in our dreams, only better.

We had an early start, it all began in Maytime . . . . . . . . . .

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