Memories and Additives

12/22/2020

Well, I’m wondering if anyone will read this. I haven’t written anything for about 5 weeks. It isn’t that I went blank and had nothing to write, several things have been lolly-gagging about in my head and still are. But, most of them are negatives not worth my time and certainly not worth yours. Besides, several of these “gripes” are being written nationally and all over social media!—better writers with more firsthand knowledge than me! Today, however, I thought it profitable to pen a few things. Help yourselves if you wish, I hope it’s somewhat beneficial.

The shortest day of the year has now passed, as well as that once-in-a-lifetime event with the planets, which didn’t occur to me as anything special, but many media were speaking of it. It too has passed. Ahem. Now back to history, the important stuff!

For 12 years of schooling I attended Trafalgar school in Trafalgar, IN (I like writing about Trafalgar because it was the stage that unfolded my “firsts” in so many things.) Each year for I don’t know how long the Alumni Association of THS has held a Banquet on Derby Day—first Saturday in May. This year it was cancelled due to Covid-19….ever heard of that? Yeah, me too. This morning instead of a SIMH, I awoke with the alumni (collectively) in my head. Not particularly anxious that they should replace music and song, but it was OK as a slight diversion.

I hope this annual event is not cancelled again. If it takes the demise of the China virus to bring it back, then that’s my prayer. I missed seeing the alum more than I would have suspected. 2021 makes my 1960 class just 6 years away from the final THS graduating class—1967. So, the number gets a little fewer each year, as you might expect. But, for those of us who have been gone from Trafalgar for so long, being privileged to see those still able to come is a real treat, a memory that rises often in our minds. There’s another Trafalgar story gonna follow this. I hope it shan’t be irritating or boring.

Trafalgar Volunteer Fire Dept. had a Saturday Fish Fry very often (can’t remember if it was ever more than twice a month. Maybe.) It was a very unique fish fry: the unique breaded fish taste is legendary still in the minds of all those who remember it and I’ve never known why. Or, if anyone of the firemen knew what it was, but it was unique enough and popular enough that threats of getting a different fish would have caused mutiny! It was goo-ood!!

Besides the sandwich there were always homemade sides and especially the pies. Oh, the pies! I believe every woman in the whole township baked and brought pies. (When I saw the movie “Michael,” the pie scene reminded me of the fish fry Saturdays in Trafalgar.)

My first experience, at least in my memory bank, of the Fish Fry Saturday goes back to my first Boy Scout troop meeting, I guess that would have been in the Fall of 1953. We gathered in the little office-type room at the Fire Dept with our Scout Master, Mr. Herb Lancaster. Sometime during that scout meeting, men began to arrive and drove the fire dept. vehicles out of the bays and we scouts were drafted into the set up activity for the Fish Fry a couple of days later. First Scout meeting, first “community” work event, first Fish Fry that I remember. What an evening for an 11 year old!

The last time I was at a Fish Fry was several years ago and if I recall, was the next to the last year they had fish fries. I was there with my brother Ken and we stayed till the end talking with an old friend. As we stood next to our cars, trying as friends do, to end our conversation, another townsman came by, waved at us smilingly and drove on. Our old friend said to us, “I’ve heard many things about that man for years: did he ever cause you guys any harm or bother?” We said no, and I added, “there was a time in my growing up years that I thought of him as a good friend.”…we stood there a few moments, then the old friend said, “Nuf said!” We agreed and said our goodbyes. …A lesson from a small town of true community.

The first time I chased the Volunteer Fire Dept. truck (as many townspeople did, just to lend a hand, if needed) it went to a farm West of town where a grass fire was out of control and reaching toward nearby properties on two sides. While the tank truck extinguished the largest of the blazes, about 25-30 of us grabbed gunny sacks and headed for the other fire edges and beat out the rest of the fire.  I remember the satisfied feeling of knowing the VFD was helpful, as well as having been a part of it. Hmm, that might make for a new melancholic phrase —small town satisfaction (STS)…..or not.

By the way, people who study their bible the way I and several hundreds of my acquaintances do are sometimes called Rightly Dividers. So, it has become a FaceBook thing to refer to them as RDers. It’s ok, obviously. But, it has a sort of triteness that I’m not sure I like. I am one, but I may not need to be nicknamed, or acronymed!..know what I mean? (In case you didn’t know, “rightly dividing the word of truth” is a portion of 2 Tim.2:15 which instructs us individually to study in order to have our works approved of God. Ergo, the type of study is to continue in rightly dividing as we study.)

Hey! New picture coming next time, I hope. (If I can make the process work.)

Thanks for reading, the Elder