To the late 40's and early 50's-in the summertime the old wooden screen door always had a hunk of cotton pin'd on it about 3/4 way up. Soaked in turpentine usually, but not always, to keep the skeeters and flys away. Sometimes if the turpintin wasn't handy then kerosene would work just fine too. Didn't matter if the kero smelled some-we always had the house "smelled up" with the kerosene lamps anyway. Do ya'll remember the old screendoor springs? Didn't ya'll just love it when ya';ll opened the door wide and that blasted spring would come loose and whack ya'll on the arm? One soon learn't not to open the door too far. Run'n down the gravel road barefooted and gett'n a big toe kinda "hung up" on a root or big stone. Made for a "swan dive" right in the middle of that gravel road. Skin't knees, arms and heads! Iodine, alchol or some kind of other stuff would really put the fire in those "barked" places where twarn't no hide left. Usually the gravels had to be washed out first and either lye soap, Fels Naptha or P and G soap was used. Had to kill those little "germans" whut were in there.

I also remember the $2.00 black rubber boots with the red trim'd soles and red acrost the top. Ya'lls feet would freeze in the summertime almost as bad as winter.

In later years I recall walkin in the springtime with "Gum boots" on and mosey'n alongside the bank full creeks while the snow and ice melted. Carry'n a "buntline special" handgun and wear'n a poncho-was a good time to kill a young coon for to bbq. Good eat'n-that is if it was a young coon. Didn't want no old one as they were strong and tough eat'n. My old teeth ain't as good as they once were-hav'n to "gum" a lot of my grub now-but that ain't too hard, I guess. Hamburger and bolony aint' real tough.

Speakin of tough---how about hell? That is one tough place. It wasn't originally made for man [made for satan and his fallen angels--demons]but because of mans' rebellion against God-many will be turned into hell upon their death. Jesus paid the price so NO MAN has to go there. If you haven't trusted Christ to save your soul now would be a real good time. He may call for ya'll tonight or He could come in the rapture tonight. Matt.24:44

-- hoot, the illinois hillbilly (hoot@pcinetwork.com), May 26, 2001