THE LAND — MARCH 4/MARCH 11, 2022
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
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Waiting for the gas man (and his Slo-Poke suckers) How wonderful it was to ing up the lane and driving have also been hired on occasion to be a kid on the farm back across our yard toward the creatively remove a Slo-Poke sucker in the day. gas and fuel barrels. A guy from someone’s hair. named Bob Bullington Growing up ten miles drove that bucket of bolts from the nearest town, you that kept our farm going. didn’t just run into town for one missing ingredient Farm kids in the day were in a recipe, and you sure not as afraid to approach better be near death if you someone they didn’t know; TABLE TALK needed to see the doctor, or maybe it was because with gas at 45 or 50 cents By Karen Schwaller Dad would occasionally per gallon. stop what he was doing to visit with him while the Seldom did visitors find barrels filled. The guy must be okay if themselves in our yard unless they Dad stopped his work to visit. really wanted to be there — if only because we lived in Nowheresville. Before long, we befriended him; and Rare was it for a visitor to find when we saw the truck coming we themselves there by accident … would scamper to meet him … not except for the Fuller Brush lady, necessarily for the stimulating convermaybe. sation that would ensue, but because As kids, we learned to entertain our- he had the goods. selves. My brothers wore paths in the He had Slo-Poke suckers — those yard grass from all the farming they chewy caramel slices of heaven on a did. How much farming do you have stick. And he always had them. And to do with toy tractors and implehe would share. ments to impede the growth of grass For a kid out in Nowhere-Land who along the paths they created? didn’t get to town a lot, a Slo-Poke Obviously, Mom and Dad didn’t care a sucker was the living end. It was big. lick because at least the kids were It was delicious. And we didn’t have to occupied. They were not double-dog share with our siblings—we each had daring someone to do something dan- our very own slice of heaven to gerous, weren’t smoking dad’s cigars unwrap and devour. And we could eat out back, or setting the cats on fire. it whenever that truck came, regardWhat was not to like about a few less of when dinner or supper would paths worn in the grass? be. It was kind of a big deal whenever Looking back now at all those times someone did find themselves in our we greeted Mr. Bullington, I wonder if yard. Some of those visitors were the he used those suckers more like mail landlord and landlady, neighbors, the carriers use dog treats — to keep milk man, the school bus driver, and dogs occupied and away from their the grocery truck guy. Yes, a grocery ankles. Or maybe he just liked having truck used to navigate the gravel kids come to greet him. After all, it roads in Plymouth County, and it took a while for the barrels to fill, and was always fun to see what treasures he was stuck there until they were were inside the truck when he filled. opened those big blue doors. It was I shudder to think of the stories we like a wonderland on wheels to us must have told him while he waited. kids. I once heard of a teacher who spoke Our mail carrier would visit at the at a kindergarten round-up meeting end of our lane daily, and would treat us to sticks of gum whenever we were and said, “If you don’t believe most of what your child tells you about me, I there waiting for him. There were a won’t believe most of what your child lot of us kids, and I suppose his expensive gum-buying habit may have tells me about you.” to have been explained to his wife on She probably heard that line from occasion. our gas man first. One of our biggest thrills was seeing He probably knew more stories the gas truck come into the yard. The about us than Mom’s hairdresser … truck was huge (as a child rememwho never brought her scissors and bers) and it made a lot of racket com- hair dryer to the farm, but who may
Karen Schwaller brings “Table Talk” to The Land from her home near Milford, Iowa. She can be reached at kschwaller@evertek.net. v
