Simpler Times

MOVIN’ MADE EASIER

By Charles D. Williams, M.D., FACR, FAAP (“Pedro”)

Frequent moves were not unusual for farm families back in the 1940’s. There was always hope of a better year, a better home, better shoes and a better crop.

In the mid 1940’s Dad and the family, including Pedro, upped and moved to the north end of Colquitt County, but we still considered ourselves Southerners. This house had some indoor plumbing. It was amazing how that worked and the world was sure getting smarter. However, this place needed a whole lot of attention to make it look halfway decent and we upped and took it on ourselves to do that.

Dad (Millard) had noticed that with this move Pedro was getting down in the dumps. He asked Dillard, his brother, to take Pedro fishing to get Pedro’s mind on other things. Dillard and I then high tailed it to Reedy Creek to do some jug fishing. The fish were biting so good we had to hide behind the tree to bait our hooks. We filled a #3 washtub plum full of fish. Dillard at the end of the day decided to drop by and give his brother Willard a mess of fish. After Dillard and I left Willard’s and headed home to Millards, Willard strung up his fish and had his picture taken. The next day Willard’s picture came out in the Moultrie Observer holding the fish Dillard and I caught. The Observer had asked Willard in an interview where the fish were biting and he pointed to his upper lip and said, “Right here.”

One time we were feelin’ down and out and Dad recognized this. He scraped together some money, headed into town and picked up a basket of apples, hopin’ we’d all perk up. We thought Christmas had come early and that we were richer than we were. Pedro reached for one of them apples and bit into it faster than a rooster after a Junebug. Dad quickly said, “Pedro, be careful and lookout for them worms.” Pedro responded, “When I eat my apples, them worms have to look after themselves.”

Even though times were sometimes tough, we kept our hopes up and for a long time Pedro kept hopin’ for that bicycle. He was willing to give up his Easter outfit if only he could get that bike. Pedro thought he might be getting’ closer when he overheard Mama and Daddy talkin’. Dad told Mama that Pedro had been askin, beggin’, and prayin’ for a bike for a mighty long time and he asked Mama if she thought a bicycle might improve Pedro’s behavior. Mama thought and said, “No, but it might spread it over a wider area.” We finally got settled in with this new move and the nearest neighbor was a long way off. During the summers we had to learn to occupy ourselves. I learned early not to complain of being bored or Dad would make me sweep the yard, wash the porch, dip the dog, haul some water, tote some wood, and weed the fields.

There was another share-cropper family down the road about 1 ½ miles and they had a boy about my age. I became close to him, played with him, picked cotton with him, and he taught me to ham-bone and I taught him to buck dance. He was black and he was my friend.

One day Dillard picked up a couple of balloons downtown – one was for me and one was for my friend. One balloon was black and one was white. This was a new type of balloon and would rise and had something inside called helium. My friend was excited and I was excited. In the excitement I let go of my balloon and it started rising higher and higher until it disappeared. My balloon had risen in the clouds. My friend looked at Uncle Dillard and asked, “Will my balloon rise as high as that white balloon?” Dillard replied, “It’s not the color of the balloon that makes it rise, it’s the stuff inside.” I believed my friend had the right stuff inside. I wished I could now find him, I don’t know where he had disappeared to but I’m sure he has risen above the clouds.

Repeated moving was hard on us kids. However, concerned relatives and the warm reception from new good friends made it easier. Most of these relatives and friends from earlier years have gone off in different directions and some already have passed on. They now are becoming the memories from which I draw strength when I reflect back on “Simpler Times.”

Reprinted with author permission from More Simpler Times.

Dr. Williams’ sequel book, More Simpler Times, can be purchased from the Capital Medical Society. All proceeds from the book are donated to the Capital Medical Society Foundation’s We Care Network program. The total sales from his books have raised over $39,000 for the CMS Foundation’s We Care Network.