I recently had to write a small chapter of a family history, filling in the portion when my limb of it lived "in the country" on a gravel road. About 1.2 miles long, the nearest house was .8 miles away on that road.

I was 8, 9, and 10 out there. "Town" was about 16 miles away, quite a distance in the late '40s and one-car families. We lived in a two-room shack on 5 acres, which had a couple of driveways. Dad was going to tear it down and build a nice house on a viewpoint, but they got divorced before that could happen.

My siblings went into town each morning with my parents, one of whom went to graduate school and the other of whom worked. They all got home around 9:30 PM. I was left alone on weekdays up until then.

I had to walk 0.5 miles to the next road over to the school bus and the same distance home, when I could take the bus. I frequently had to stay after school to get paddled, as they were able to do in those days. A ping-pong paddle, applied 3, 4 or 5 times. And it hurt. Then I walked, and it took until 5:30 on the gravel roads or 5:15 PM across pastures and through fields. The cows and calves in the fields scared me, especially when a calf took an interest.

It was a different era. One time a kid hopped off the teeter-totter and I had my foot under it. My ankle was severely sprained. With no one at home, I had to stay in school. They helped me out to the bus, and dropped me off at my normal stop. I crawled the half-mile home. I had lost my key, had to crawl through a high window to get in. That was a long day, really.

One summer I sold Christmas cards to get the money to buy a BB gun which I thought would defend me in case any of the people who parked in the driveways and caroused decided to investigate the house.

I think any parents who did that these days would go to jail, but then was different.

The point: Along with listening to the radio, I did learn to read, and read well. I learned to use a dictionary. And I don't know many people who can backpack by themselves for a week with only passing contact with other people every 3 or 4 days. And fewer still who could enjoy it.

However, I doubt if the networking and skills acquired in the kiddie slam are that constructive. Seriously doubt it. Am sure not. TB nailed me.

Arf