Falling Through the ice while Crossing the Creek

Down The Hill and Across the Road

Falling Through the Ice while Crossing the Creek

Well, you have heard the stories of how far people had to walk to and from school in all kinds of severe weather and uphill both ways. So, here is another walking to and from school story.

When I was in the fifth grade my brothers and sisters and the neighbor kids and I were coming home from school. It was right after the first of the year and very cold, normally we crossed the creek at Sand Ridge Road where we had stepping stones to keep from getting our feet wet. My older brother, Bruce, Junior Moonyham our neighbor and I decided we would take another route that day. We agreed we would cross the creek about an eighth of mile south of Sand Ridge Road. So, off we went leaving the others to cross the creek at the road. After scouting around through the timber and the field looking for evidence of wild life we three decided it was time to cross the creek. We would have to find a narrow place where we could jump across, or a pool where the water was frozen over and the ice was thick enough to support our weight. Now Bruce was always skinny and Junior was even skinnier. This was not the case with me, I was a pretty husky fifth grader. We didn’t find a place where we were sure we could jump across. We did find a pool that was deep and about four feet across where the water was frozen over solid all the way to the banks on either side. After poking around with a good sized stick we decided it was safe to cross. First to cross was Bruce….the brave one. He made it with no problem. Junior was next to cross, he knew if Bruce made it he could. He made it just fine. So far, everything is going fine, two have made it across and one to go.  As I stepped on the ice everything was good until about half way across I heard the ice crack and made a dive for the bank. My hands were the only part of me that made it to the other side,  the rest of me was in ice cold water. Bruce and Junior grabbed my hands and helped me struggle up on the bank to get my water soaked body out of the creek. The creek was not all that deep in most places however, this pool was deep enough that I was soaked from my neck down. Because of the cold weather I had on a lot of clothes which included my favorite coat a black and white checked mackinaw. I was miserable and cold. Including the wet clothing I must have weighed two hundred pounds. Things were not looking good. I had a quarter mile walk to get home and the water on my pant legs had already begun to freeze. As we walked home I tried my best to keep up with Bruce and Junior, it was not easy. More of my clothing was ice coated. I thought why do I have to be heavier than other guys who are older than I?  I should have gone first! No, that wouldn’t have worked there would have been no one to pull me out. By now we were almost home, Junior had reached his house and we watched him go inside. All I had yet to go was the length of our driveway. Every part of my body, hurt my lungs felt like they were on fire. Why did I have to be so stupid?

As we came walking down the drive Mom was standing in the front yard holding a switch. Not a good welcome home scene! As we got in hearing distance she said, “what have you two been doing the other kids are already home. I have told you time and time again that you all stay together to and from school. I have been worried to death!  Jim? What in the world have you been doing”?  I wanted to explain that it was all an accident but decided this was not the best time. I better just keep quite. I knew she wasn’t going to just stand there with that switch. I realized I was the most likely candidate to be on the receiving end of the switch. Sure enough, about three whacks across the rear with these words, I heard, get upstairs and change those clothes right now.

When we got upstairs and were changing our clothes Bruce said, “Did that hurt”? I said, “NO, she was just chipping ice”. That statement brought laughter from both of us, which was a mistake. Mom called up the staircase and said, “you boys stop that laughing and get your clothes changed you have chores to do”.  Well, have you ever got started laughing and for some reason you  just couldn’t stop?  There is nothing about the whole situation that was funny but we just kept laughing. My body was so cold I figured I would not reach normal body temperature until the middle of July……nothing funny about that! Bruce made it across the creek and I didn’t……nothing funny about that! My Mother was very angry and disappointed with me……nothing funny about that! Another call from downstairs, “you boys stop the laughing” …but we didn’t! So, why were we still laughing? The only explanation could be that we were out of control or temporally insane or both.   By now the clothes are off. Have you ever had your ears so cold that it hurts to even touch them? Well, that’s how my whole body felt!  Then we heard footsteps on the stairway. Suddenly my Mother appears at the top of the steps and said, “Stop the laughing and get ready to do your chores”.  My Mother was not a big woman, but she had that switch in her hand and my emotions went from laughter, to fear, to prayer all in a spit second. I quit laughing! Then in the most pitiful voice I could muster I said, “I’m sorry Mom”.

Jim Gray

Peculiar MO