Monday, September 29, 2008

The Injuries Of Youth.

I always enjoy the stories of growing up that I find on Tipper's site 'Blind Pig And An Acorn'. She just did a story of her fun in the woods of her youth. It reminded me of accidents I had in the woods of the Appalachian Mountains. Pennsylvania has hard wood forest rather the the pine forest of the South. We used to play from sun-up to sun-down and also had games we played in the dark when we were kids. You can not play hard without getting into some accidental situations. I had two good friends that were involved in those accidents so I'll share what happened with you.

My friends were Ray and Davey, Ray lived across the street and was one year older and Dave lived next door and was four years older. Ray out weighed me by 50 pounds and I was quick. We would wrestle and as long as he wasn't able to get his weight on me I could take him. If he got that 50 pound advantage I was in trouble. Davey was just to big to play those games, he was taller and weigh more then either of us. Davey later on got me into fast cars but that's a story for another day.


The first accident involved both Ray and Davey. We were at a frozen pond ice skating, they made fireworks in the area. This pond was way back into the woods and not near any houses. It was a dammed stream that flowed down to our swimming hole on the river. Just to give you some background we all wore a lined red leather hunting caps when we were younger. The hat had flaps you could pull down over your ears and was very warm. We were having fun skating and Ray decide we should build a fire. There was a log that just wouldn't break by normal methods, to put on the fire, so Ray decided to break it against a tree. I could not see anything good coming from this act so I hid behind Davey. I told you he was tall, at least a foot taller then me, so I'd be safe (yea sure). The one thing I hadn't figured is the log would break and fly at an angle that caused it to fly over Davey's head and land on front side of my head. That hat was strong but a log was a little too much. The log managed to split open my head through the hat . We were pretty far from any houses so we headed for the closest house we could reach. By the time we got there by hat was red on the inside and out. My Dad was called and we headed to the doctors office. The doctor put a clamp on that big split. It would have taken 8 stitches to close the cut today but one clamp did the job. I still have the bump from the scar that the clamp made. The hat was so soaked with blood and it had to be replaced.


The second accident involved Ray and I. We both had hatchet and used to carry them and enjoyed cutting down trees. Ray's Dad was a machinist and we had used his grinder to sharpen the hatchets. Ray being a little older decided that we should cut this one tree down like lumberjacks with each of us taking a swing. It sounded like a lot of fun to a youthful brain. A hatchet is a lot shorter then a woodsman's axe. Maybe I should have remembered about the ice skating incident but I didn't. Everything went pretty well until my hatchet stuck in the tree. Ray's hatchet managed to cut through the end of my thumb. It wasn't that bad. Another trip to the doctors for a couple of stitches and a tetanus shot and I was ready to go. I never tried that chopping method again.


The third accident happened with Davey. We lived near a main highway and we used to ride our bikes on the road. Roads were not that busy back then. Even though we lived in the city our road wasn't paved so when we could ride on the State Route we would. There was this one day that Davey challenged me to a race, not being one to back down off from a race we went racing down the highway. No cars coming I decide to make a pass. I had those pedals on my Schwinn pumping away and as I started to pass I hit some loose dirt on the pavement. Down I went and I hit my head on his rear axle. Another trip to the doctors and another clamp on the head. Needless to say I now have a scar on the back of the head from from that collision.

We did have a lot of fun and did cause our own dangers back then. It wasn't like today where the grand kids can get carpal tunnel syndrome injuries from using their Wii.

21 comments:

Twisted Fencepost said...

Boys will be boys! Some memories are good, some are bad. And sometimes it's hard to distinguish which is which. As we get older we learn forethought. It's a shame we aren't born with it!

abb said...

Amazing you've lived to tell the tales! Aren't memories of youth wonderful? Glad you shared!

A Colorful World said...

Oh, you always seemed to get the bad end of the deal! You always got hurt! I dread all that coming up with Grandson C! I know boys get hurt playing sometimes, and even girls....my daughter was very lady-like and she still managed to get pushed off a pipe by another child and fall and break her arm!

I enjoyed your reminiscences!

Unknown said...

If only we could live so carefree now. The memories we are taking away from our youth are life lessons. Great story!

Unknown said...

I haven't got injured by my wii yet. I guess it's only a matter of time.

dot said...

Good stories but it's a wonder you are alive. Those were surely the good old days when we could be kids without worry. Well, almost!

Louise said...

Love these stories. They could only happen to boys of a different generation. (I, being a girl and all, have never had a stitch or a broken bone, but am sure I spent as much as or more time outside than my brother did.)

I love this sentence: "It wasn't like today where the grand kids can get carpal tunnel syndrome injuries from using their Wii." Not only funny, but true. We have no such things in our house. Even though our yard is TINY, that's where the kids play most of the time. Sometimes they play inside, but it's still imaginative and active.

Stacey Olson said...

LoL..Great story Fishing guy... No I best go check my boys and make sure that they are behaving..

Fish Whisperer said...

Those were the days when we play outside. Buiding forts and having great adventures. Can't say much about todays kids. Great post FG.
Cheers

Oman said...

glad you survived. i always believe that what didn't kill you will only make you stronger. and it will also make you wiser. have a nice day my friend. you take care now.

The Birdlady said...

Tom, before I got to the end, I was thinking how today's generation of kids can't have that kind of freedom - I guess they'll have their own memories but just the same.......???

Shelley said...

You sure are tough fishing guy!! It is fun to reminisce about childhood injuries....
You're right about the Wii - those kids need to get outside!

Jack and Joann said...

Zowiee!!!!!!
Did someone post something that I missed this morning---that all posts today should have blood and gore.

I'm surprised Fishing Guy that you survived your childhood to go fishing today and write your blog. I bet you don't let your grandkids run around with hatches looking like Davy Crockett on the wild side. Have you been to Abe's blog this morning to see all the blood and gore? I recomment you view after breakfast has settled a bit.

Anonymous said...

Your accident must have been something else to go through. This would be one of your worst memories I would imagine.

Yes, blue jays do warn other birds and animals that a cat is in the neighborhood. In fact when I hear them I go outside with my BB gun and often shoot at the rear end of a cat scampering up and over the fence.

I had a gold clamp put in my lip way back when. I was a little kid.

NCmountainwoman said...

Amazing, isn't it? That so many of us reached adulthood. I recall my brother and I taking an old leaky canoe on a nearby lake. One would paddle and the other would bail. But we really did have fun summers!

RazorFamilyFarms.com said...

I loved Twisted Fencepost's comment. That's exactly what I was thinking!

My husband and I enjoy reading books out loud in the evenings -- its a folksy old fashioned way of hanging out together. We are reading Little Heathens, Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm during the Great Depression. I just know you would love it! It's full of stories like yours.

Blessings!
Lacy

raccoonlover1963/Lisa Myers said...

It's amazing what children would do for fun back in the day. Life was so much simpler then. Sorry to hear about all the bang-ups! OUCH! Please stop by my blog. There is an award waiting there for you.
Lisa

2sweetnsaxy said...

I'm glad you lived to tell the tales. It's no wonder people are so adamant about kids wearing helmets and knee pads but I wonder sometimes if we protect them from too much. Sometimes I think the little bumps and bruises teach you to get through life. I wouldn't go so far as to want any splitting their heads open, still I wonder how much is too much protection.

Thanks for sharing your stories.
:-)

Anonymous said...

Oh I'm so glad you posted about your escapades with the boys! Does sound like you got the short end of the stick though. Amazing how things have changed since then-the dangers kids face today are mostly related to people instead of just childhood play.

(Thanks for the shout out too)

DeniseinVA said...

So glad you got through those accidents okay. Wow, gives me the chills just thinking about it but good stories to read. I didn't grow up around boys so when I married and had one of my own, what a shock that was. He was a very active kid and we spent a lot of time in the doctor's office.

Jo Castillo said...

These stories brought smiles and memories. How did we ever survive?