MY TREE HOUSE
My tree house was not a house but just a tree. I climbed way up almost to the top of a big Elm (we called it Ellem') tree so high you felt like you could touch the sky. There in my 'spot' there was a somewhat flat limb where I sat. There was a slightly rounded limb just right to lean back in, and a limb to rest my feet on. To top that there was three limbs in front of my seat' to lay my stuff' on. Just like my own private club house. I wrote in my diary, wrote poems, watched birds close like, even watched tiny little bird eggs hatch one day. The Mama bird stayed home with the kids and the Daddy bird brought food and fed his family. Just like my Mama and Daddy I thought.
I had to use a ladder to climb up to the bottom limb so I could catch it and swing myself up to begin my climb. Oh what great times I had up there all secure in my own little world surrounded by that wonderful private chair' all my own. Only problem was I was not allowed to climb trees. Nope! Brenda climbed trees, Norman and Paul climbed trees, but Daddies little girl was not supposed to climb trees. Daddy wasn't home and I always suspected that Mama knew I climbed that tree. Never got around to asking though because if she didn't know then my get away was gone.
Sometimes I would get skinned up on the bark getting up or down but not much attention was ever paid to that. That is just what kids do, They get skinned shins and bruises all the time. YEP! Sure nuff do.
But lets talk about that ladder that I had to have to get up and down. One day I was up in that tree and Norman and Paul took my ladder down and took off through the pasture laughing their heads off. Well this is a fine kettle of fish I'm in now, I thought. Those little varmits anyway, and where the heck is Brenda when I need her? HUH? Brenda was sick that day but to my thinking that was no excuse. Heck fire no excuse at all.
I decided not to go hollering right then and get caught in a tree, I just sat there thinking maybe the boys would come back and help me. HA! Wishful thinking on my part, they had probably already forgotten about me.
Now often I sat up there half a day (and that is the reason I suspect Mama knew where I was) but knowing the ladder was gone I got antsy real fast and I wanted down from there. NOW! I tried to occupy myself watching the birds, lookin at the sky for odd shaped clouds, but heck there weren't any clouds. I got bored with that fast. I looked way over on the other side of the tree and there was a huge wasp nest just covered in those mean ol' red wasps. OH NO!, gotta get down from here now. I started to climb down farther and shushed a lizard off one limb but the next limb had something on it I was not going to fool with, No way No how was I gonna' try to go around a tree frog. NOPE!! I started climbing up again. I was getting pretty well flustered by now so I was really getting the scrapes and bruises fast. I was caught in the middle of a wasp nest and a tree frog. Well the wasp nest won out, I wasn't having me none of that frog! Nope!
I had no idea what time it was and my mind was runnin' away with thoughts of never getting outta' that dad blamed tree again. In reality it was only about fifteen minutes but to me it was days and days. I started cryin'. I snotted and blubbered, and sobbed. Then I started screamin' to the top of my lungs, HEELLPP!!! Somebody help me!!! Of course Mama was there in a second. "Clydene, What in the world are you screamin' about?" she said. "Mama, I can't get down, the boys took my ladder. When I get my hands on them they are gonna' be sssorrryy!" Sniffle, slobber, sputter. Well during all this bellerin' and splutterin' My Daddy drove up. WOOPS! "Mama just go back in the house and don't tell Daddy where I am" I said. My Daddy had already seen me though and probably heard my screeches way up the lane. The jig was up! Mama was setting the ladder up and I was scramblin' down that tree quicker'n'a wink. If that tree frog was there I sure didn't see it cause my eyes were on Daddy. "Now Clyde you have to let Clydene be a kid, You are too protective of her, she can climb this tree as good as the boys can, didn't you see how she came down?" Daddy didn't say much but I saw pride in his eyes. Yep he was proud of his little girl just wasn't about to say it to me. Well I had climbed a tree when he said I couldn't. I knew that was wrong didn't I? Sure I did. I wasn't proud of me myself right now. Daddy just hugged me tight and we all went in the house. I got a lecture about not minding my Daddy and the boys got one for taking my ladder. They still thought it was funny I suspect. Now I think it is funny too. Didn't then,NOPE, Do now. YEP!
Tags: Ladder
