imagination

Growing up in Chilliwack....1943

6 years old grade 1......1944.........Where we lived on Fletcher st. was only 60 seconds from school on a fast run...I could leave at three minutes to nine...and be at school before the Principal closed the big steel basement doors......Mr. Manuel, the principal, was always standing there dressed in a suit and tie..anyone after nine a.m. was late or tardy ... ....and they had to supply a note from their parents the next day....I don't remember ever being late... ..In fact didn't get into any serious trouble in grade school that I can remember..I only needed to look at the the strap and I knew I did not want to cross any teacher enough to deal with that....it was brought out on occassion. ..and it was weilded by great big male person......no thanks......although.....one day....I was in Grade 1....Miss Patriken was my teachers name ( I remember being in love with her...Wow she was something...) anyway...one morning Miss Patriken was teaching at the side board of the class...my seat was a middle side row seat...she glanced down and found cigarette butts on the floor... she was some concerned about that...and like, I was six years old....but, but they were my butts....I was arrested as a suspect in a crime ...My sister, Faye was in Grade six and she was requested to be at the trial ...I somehow had to explain the butts in my pocket and I was not doing a very good job of it....my sister bailed me out, and explained the situation to the judge...... kids like to play with war related toys ....boys anyway....A small plastic fighter plane could be bought at the Dime Store for 10 cents..they were pretty cool and replicas of the English Spitfire...I thought it was great fun to light the butts...(yeah the matches were the baddest thing about this story...) and stick them in the tail section of the plane..therefore flying em around by hand with a smoke trail behind ..and my imagination doing the best to create a terrific aerial dogfight...( hey ...TV was not invented yet )....
Well........ Faye convinced the teacher that this was the purpose of the cigarette butts...Miss Patriken was wary, but she bought it ....I was cleared........and I don't remember anymore coming of it....I was probably banned from playing with matches..they were wonderful things...the big kitchen matches....every house had lots of them..there was no thermostats or natural gas in those days...heating the home and cooking needed a match to start the process. Electric appliances came on stream after 1945.......if you needed a little heat you bought a blanket.
I can remember when the European war was over...Gary Hogg and I were in the yard playing...suddenly everyone was coming out of their houses shouting , laughing, hugging and kissing..I was swept up and swung around...whatever was happening must have been pretty good stuff...Dad ran home from the garage (maybe not ...I don't think I ever saw him run)....but it was a really happy occasion.....Gary and I were 7 years old.....after it quieted down Gary and I stayed in the yard and talked about this great day...

I had a couple of months of home schooling in grade one...I managed to catch every bug going..the Mumps, hooping cough...Scarletina...there was a stay away sign on the door.....I guess I got em all out of the way at once....