Me Knows Better Than to Say This... But I will. This past week, the mother of one of my best friends since kindergarten passed away and I wanted to share one short story.
When Jimmy was a wee little lad, he got the chance to go play with Brian on his farm. (I think Mike was with us... but he has not confirmed knowledge of the "incident." This is a good theory on his part not to self incriminate). For a town dweller, this was a unique experience with many adventurous opportunities and many more places to get into trouble. Since I was only 6 years old, Mrs. Tweeten wanted to go over a few ground rules. Among them was a caution about something called "an electric fence." I had never heard of such a phenomenon, but I took her word for it. (I was not the brightest kid as one can surmise from an earlier post: A Day of Infamy in Kindergarten). She mentioned that Brian would point it out and that I should just not touch it or I might get hurt. Since avoidance of any pain was a high priority, I took her word for it.
As with any couple of young boys, we made a beeline to the nearest electric fence. Brian, the wise one, pointed it out to make sure I knew what was "hot" and what was not and issued a final warning that we shouldn't touch it... but that it was "OK" to pee on it.
Since the theory of Electrical Conductivity and Grounding was not within the realm of logical concepts understood by a first grader, I thought peeing on the electric fence made good sense and a good substitute for not being able to touch said wire.
I now know that my good friend Brian was going to intentionally miss the wire and watch Jimmy get his first lesson in physical science. But just as I dropped my trousers, Mrs. Tweeten yelled from the porch, "Brian - don't you be teaching Jimmy that!"
Thank you Mrs. Tweeten. I know you are still watching over your family.
Photo of the Three Amigos - 1st Grade
Brian, Jimmy and Mike
When Jimmy was a wee little lad, he got the chance to go play with Brian on his farm. (I think Mike was with us... but he has not confirmed knowledge of the "incident." This is a good theory on his part not to self incriminate). For a town dweller, this was a unique experience with many adventurous opportunities and many more places to get into trouble. Since I was only 6 years old, Mrs. Tweeten wanted to go over a few ground rules. Among them was a caution about something called "an electric fence." I had never heard of such a phenomenon, but I took her word for it. (I was not the brightest kid as one can surmise from an earlier post: A Day of Infamy in Kindergarten). She mentioned that Brian would point it out and that I should just not touch it or I might get hurt. Since avoidance of any pain was a high priority, I took her word for it.
As with any couple of young boys, we made a beeline to the nearest electric fence. Brian, the wise one, pointed it out to make sure I knew what was "hot" and what was not and issued a final warning that we shouldn't touch it... but that it was "OK" to pee on it.
Since the theory of Electrical Conductivity and Grounding was not within the realm of logical concepts understood by a first grader, I thought peeing on the electric fence made good sense and a good substitute for not being able to touch said wire.
I now know that my good friend Brian was going to intentionally miss the wire and watch Jimmy get his first lesson in physical science. But just as I dropped my trousers, Mrs. Tweeten yelled from the porch, "Brian - don't you be teaching Jimmy that!"
Thank you Mrs. Tweeten. I know you are still watching over your family.
Photo of the Three Amigos - 1st Grade
Brian, Jimmy and Mike
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