Saga of the Sanpitch Volume 17, 1985 - Sanpete County

would grab hold of the "trip rope" which, when it was not in use on the derrick, was tied to the top of the
rafters; and, then, swing back and forth only to land on the hay. What fun! More than once, while romping in
the hay, we discovered an old hen sitting on her nest where she had hidden her eggs, with two or three little
chicks peering out from her fluffy, outstretched feathers. How proud she was of her babies„ It reminded me of
a queen on a throne.
We were always looking for eggs out in the hay. Discovery not only meant eggs for breakfast, a rarity
we seldom enjoyed, but it also meant a piece of candy around the corner at Kinnekenick's store. I can still
picture old Mr. Olsen, with his long white beard, holding our eggs up to a light bulb that hung suspended on a
long cord from the ceiling, to see if our eggs were fresh. If they passed his inspection, we could trade an egg
for a stick of licorice, an all-day-sucker, or a piece of horehound candy. How good those little bits of sweet
tasted to our candy-hungry mouths.
The capstone to fun-filled summer days were the nights when we and all the neighbor kids would
gather around the telephone pole to play out. We played "Hide and Go Seek," "Draw A Magic Frying Pan,"
"Kick the Can," "Pomp Pomp Pull Away," "Here Come the Jolly Butcher Boys," "Crossing the Plains," and my
favorite of all, "Run, My Sheepy Run." Scratches and bruises sustained climbing over fences or crawling
through old chicken coops and corrals were hardly noticed in the excitement of the game. Moving as silently
and as stealthily as a hunter stalking a deer, we sought to allude our pursuers and creep back in the direction
of the pole. But when our leader called, "Run, My Sheepy Run," we mustered all our energy, running pell-mell
to reach the pole before the opposing team. If we succeeded, we got to hide out again. How I loved those
long, happy summer days. But when the days grew shorter, the evenings cooler, and the nip of frost was in the
air, my heart beat faster as I imagined I could hear the clang-clingclang of the school bell.
Source: Personal recollection.
PA
Talula Frandsen Nelson
P.O. Box 148
Mt. Pleasant, UT 84647 t
Non-Professional Division
Third Place Personal Recollection
Pa was the kindest and most loving man I have ever known. His great love for his family and kindness
to animals and people less fortunate than himself are the reasons for which I remember him most. His
children had a very happy childhood.
I remember the great fun we had on Saturday evening. Mother would give us a bath in the tin tub by
the kitchen stove. Then dressed in long, warm underwear, we were ready for a romp.
We loved to get Pa to play "Hide and Seek." It was exciting when Pa would hide the baby, Winnie,
about a year old. He could find the darnedest places to hide her and she loved it. One time he stood her in the
window and pulled down the blind. She stood very quietly. It was impossible to find her. Another time he took
the linen from the dresser drawer, put her in the empty drawer and slid the drawer back into place. We
hunted and hunted. Someone said, "Where can she be?" She heard and said, "Here I am!" which added to our
fun. He would hide her under a rug, under Mother's long skirts or on his lap under a pillow.
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