GROWN KIDS

I'm not sure my Dad ever really "grew up". He loved to laugh, play and do things that "mature" adults would never want to be caught doing. Dad did not ever in his life give one "hoot" about the opinion of anyone else on the face of the earth, except for family he loved. He was just "Dad" and did his thing til his last day.

Here's the "hook", Dad wasn't the only person in the world like that. There was at least one other named Arthur Mitchell. To say that they had a lot in common would be like saying that peas and carrots kinda go together?

So what did they share:

1. The back breaking, minimum wage, filthy, dangerous Kilgore/Turnertown oil field.
2. Falstaff beer (and one hell of a lot of it)
3. Wives named Thelda and Zelda
4. An absolute passion for cars, speed, noise and hell raising, all day, every day
5. For a period they lived about 50 yards apart in Wright City
6. They NEVER really "grew up"

Need examples of "never really grew up"?

Wright City was on a telephone "party line". That meant that all were on the same circuit and by picking up the receiver one could evesdrop on any conversation occurring (kinda like an early CIA) Hattie Lee has spent her life being the most consumate, vicious, sanctimonious, psycho (OK, I'm kinda going overboard here, but there is a lot of history with this "woman") and she spent her entire day "spying" on the "party line". For a brief period in time (another blog here perhaps?) Dad had a phone in his house. Arthur had a phone. They would make it up to call each other knowing that Hattie would be on the phone. Then they would say the most vulgar things they could think up and giggle like school girls when the phones would start hanging up as the "listeners" (yeah Hattie wasn't the only one evesdropping) became offended.

Dad and Arthur each had a truck (didn't everyone then?). One of their favorite "sports" was to back them up to each other in the pasture between their houses and chain them together. Then they would see who could outpull the other and drag the loser's truck around the pasture (I witnessed the "winner" drag the "loser" around and around many a time while they were giggling like twelve year olds.

Bottom line: these "kids" were absolutely fearless of death, tough, but loved their families, and accepted people at face value without regard for any window dressing whatsoever.